With social distancing the new normal, one lingering issue for many people centers on sex: is it safe to have sex and what precautions are needed because of the contagious novel coronavirus?
The New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH) has issued a set of guidelines on the issue.
There’s no way to know how long the pandemic will last, and because sex is a natural way to express your love for another person and a proven way to physically and mentally relax, the NYC guidelines remind us that a person infected with the virus can spread it to others within six feet if they cough or sneeze. So getting frisky can be risky.
The virus also can be transmitted through direct contact with the infected person’s saliva or mucous. To date, there have been no reports of other types of coronavirus being transmitted through semen or vaginal fluids.
The NYCDOH mentions one type of sex that is totally safe, and that is masturbation. But people are warned to wash their hands to eradicate the COVID-19 virus.
For people who are determined to have physical intimacy with another person, the safest partner is the one you live with, says the NYCDOH. “Having close contact, including sex, with only a small circle of people, helps prevent spreading COVID-19.”
The guidelines point out that kissing can easily pass the virus from one person to another even in your close circle of contacts. They also recommend wearing condoms and dental dams, and re-emphasize washing thoroughly before and after sex.
The recommendations include skipping sex if you or your partner is not feeling well.
“If you or your partner has COVID-19, avoid sex and especially kissing,” says the NYCDOH. Also, they add that if you or your partner has an underlying medical condition such as lung or heart disease, diabetes, cancer or a weakened immune system, don’t have sex.
-Newsmax