How to (Safely) Resuscitate Your Sex Life After Months Alone Under Quarantine

We can all agree that safe sex today is no longer just about using the right contraceptives and being respectful of your partner’s preferences. Now more than ever, it’s also about making sure that you’re not putting each other’s health at risk.

You can do the math—sex is primarily about being intimate with someone, with plenty of kissing, touching, and heavy breathing involved. While COVID-19 is not contracted directly from sex, the exchange in fluids and saliva is more than enough to get you in trouble, given that we’re dealing with a respiratory virus.

So what’s a guy to do? Is now not a good time to hook up? More importantly, what’s sex going to be like in the new normal? For starters, no one’s telling you to avoid it altogether—heaven knows how long you’ve been clamoring for it ever since the quarantine period began. It’s just that there are a few new ground rules, depending on your environment and relationship status.

Status: Single and looking to hook up
It’s going to be a bit tough for single guys, at least at first. Public health officials advise not having sex with anyone you haven’t holed up with, which means dates will have to take place via social media or video chat apps for now. It makes sense from a health perspective—you’re not really sure who your date has been in contact with and vice versa. Besides, now’s not the best time to put out on the first date anyway.

If you really can’t fight the urge, one thing you can do or keep doing, according to health experts, is to consider your safest sex partner: Yourself. Masturbation is the safest form of sex out there, so long as you wash your hands and any other instrumental item prior to using them.

That said, let’s be real here: It’s likely that some of you will make an attempt to go out and hook up in person anyway. In the event that you do, doctors recommend that you avoid the physical act of kissing and continue to wear a mask during sex. (It’s the least you can do.)

Status: Dating but living separately
Three words: Social distancing sex. What it means is that while actual intercourse is not advisable at the moment, you can always resort to phone sex and sexting. Sending intimate photos and having video sex are also a possibility, but only when you’re absolutely sure that your respective accounts and devices are secure from potential hackers.

Another thing: As much as you want to go for it, keep in mind that trust and consent are also in play here. If you’re confident that your privacy will not be compromised by your partner in the long run, then by all means go ahead and virtually pleasure each other to your heart’s content.

Status: In a relationship and living together
Just because you’re living together doesn’t mean it’s an automatic greenlight. Were either of you exposed to the virus at some point? Are either of you showing any symptoms right now? If either of you have any reason to believe that your health is going to be compromised by sleeping with each other, then it’s best to continue practicing social distancing, even from home. In fact, it will be a good idea to not share a bed for now.

Otherwise, go to town with your partner. Enjoy the perks of being quarantined together. Make up for lost time. Of course, it goes without saying that you and your partner do so with caution and protection. After all, sex is so much better when you #DoItRight.

If you need a refresher on what constitutes as safe and responsible sex, you might want to visit www.doitright.ph—a website dedicated to educating Filipinos about sexual and reproductive health. It pays to know how you can make the most out of your sex life, especially in the time of a pandemic.

Now that you’re all covered, congratulations in advance for resuscitating your sex life! Follow Do It Right! on Facebook to know more about TRUST's latest campaign: Do It Right! Do it with TRUST Reproductive Health Choices.