Sex during a pandemic can be risky. Here’s how to do it safely...😀

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The desire to be close to others and to engage in sexual behavior is common during stressful times.

 

Social distancing in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 has radically changed the way we live. But that doesn’t stop people from needing each other, in every sense of the word. This has healthcare practitioners considering how to talk to patients about an entirely new kind of safe sex.

In a commentary published in early May in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, a group of doctors at Harvard Medical School highlighted the need to talk to patients about sex during COVID-19. “Given the important role of sexuality in most people’s lives, health care providers... should consider counseling patients on this topic whenever possible,” they write. “Facilitating brief conversations and referrals to relevant resources can help patients maintain sexual wellness amid the pandemic.”

The physicians included suggested best practices such as prioritizing masturbation and engaging in online sexual behaviors. Sex with others, even people in your quarantine bubble, creates risk for infection, they write.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening. The desire to be close to others and to engage in sexual behavior is common during stressful times like the period we are in. While social distancing best practices, set by the CDC, recommends staying at least six feet away from people who aren’t part of your household, that’s just not always possible. And shaming people for breaking social distancing rules isn’t the answer in every context. “Messaging around sex being dangerous may have insidious psychological effects at a time when people are especially susceptible to mental health difficulties,” the researchers write.