Sexual Activity During COVID-19

Hey there! My name is JC Caramillo and I am currently a candidate for a Bachelor of Health Sciences with a concentration in Biomedical Sciences and a minor in Disability Studies – it’s a long title, I know. Last academic year, I was working with Health Promotion as a placement student and I’ll be returning as a Health Promotion Team Leader for the current academic year. I’m ecstatic to be providing my knowledge and wisdom with you, especially since this will my final year at Carleton University!

Hey there, it’s JC again! If you haven’t already checked out my previous articles on tips for students in their first year of university or tips for learning online  click on their respective hyperlinks! 

 In this blog post, I’ll be discussing sexual activity – a topic that some find uncomfortable. To make it even more awkward, I’ll be discussing sexual activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Sexual activity is often a difficult subject to talk about, as it is sometimes perceived as taboo or a private matter that should not be spoken about publicly. With understanding and respect, I would like to encourage a harm reduction approach to the topic of sexual activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than sweeping this topic under the rug, a harm reduction model involves strategies for individuals participating in behaviours deemed to be ‘risky’ in order to decrease harm and injury to the individual. We can apply this logic for behaviours such as alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, and illicit drugs (such as cocaine-use and opioid-use), and I’d like to shed light on COVID-19-specific recommendations for sexual activity during the pandemic. 

During the pandemic, keeping a tight social circle is key in reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In regard to sexual activity during the pandemic, including one sexual partner within your social circle counts as a harm reduction approach. As you may very well know, sexual intercourse involves close contact between people, thereby providing a risk of transmission. Ensuring that you and your sexual partner are respecting your social circle, or better yet, your sexual circle, can help prevent you, your, partner, and those within your shared social circle from being infected.   

In this resource on Safer Sex During COVID-19, Toronto Public Health encourages handwashing before and after sex, avoiding or limiting kissing and saliva exchange, using non-face-to-face sexual positions, and wearing a mask during intercourse. Of course, if you or your sexual partner is feeling sick or have been exposed to someone infected by COVID-19, avoid having sex/coming in contact with them until they are cleared of risk. 

 In addition, Toronto Public Health, suggests exploring your sexuality by yourself at home, which involves masturbation. Although, consensual sexting and video sex are viable options if you want to be engaged with a sexual partner while ensuring your safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 I know it seems unusual that I’m providing you tips for having sex during this pandemic – trust me, it’s even stranger for me to write them on such a public forum. Although this is the case, I know that people will still want to engage in sexual activity, as I’ve stated before. Therefore, it’s important that this information is shared. 

 Guidelines and tips such as these have not come without backlash. Some people have expressed the oddity of wearing a mask while having sex with another person, but the science tells us that it can help during this pandemic. Similar to wearing a condom as a form of protection against sexually transmitted infections, wearing a mask may provide protection against COVID-19. Check out the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control for sex guidelines.

 Nonetheless, if you are choosing to have sex during the COVID-19 pandemic, be safe about it. This can include using physical barriers, such as condoms and dental dams, as well as the pill or an IUD. Additionally, utilizing sex guidelines and tips, such as using masks or non-face-to-face positions during sex may help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. In my perspective, any form of mitigation, whether small or large, helps during this global pandemic. 

 If you are still curious about having sex during the COVID-19 or want to incorporate these tips into your sex life, take a look at the resources that I’ve linked throughout.