Don’t kiss, and wear a mask when having sex to protect yourself from coronavirus: This has been advised by Canada’s chief medical officer.

Dr Theresa Tam also stressed that going solo is still the lowest risk sexual option in the pandemic.

She said in a statement that there is little chance of catching COVID-19 from semen or vaginal fluid. However, sexual activity with new partners does increase the risk of contracting the virus, particularly if there is close contact like kissing.

“Like other activities during COVID-19 that involve physical closeness, there are some things you can do to minimise the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus."

Her suggestion is to skip kissing, avoiding face-to-face closeness, wear a mask that covers your mouth and nose, and monitor yourself and your partner for symptoms ahead of any sexual activity.

According to Tam, sexual health contributes to overall health and by taking precautions, “Canadians can find ways to enjoy physical intimacy while safeguarding the progress we have all made containing COVID-19.”

“The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone,” she said. According to Tam, sexual health contributes to overall health and by taking precautions, “Canadians can find ways to enjoy physical intimacy while safeguarding the progress we have all made containing COVID-19.”

When Red light districts reopened in places like Thailand and Netherlands after lockdown in these countries, strict guidelines were made for sex workers to be adhered to.

One of the social distancing precautions taken was that the body temperature of all customers attending bars was to be taken with their name and phone number.

Other precaution was, ‘Everybody has to sit at least one metre (yard) apart and two metres from the stage’.

In Netherlands, sex workers were advised to avoid heavy breathing and kissing to help reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19.

Coming back to Canada, the country has reported 129,425 cases of COVID-19 and 9,132 deaths, as of Sept 1. New daily cases are far below peak volumes, but there has been a recent increase, driven by more infections in certain western Canadian provinces.

If no kissing and covering of face decreases one’s risk of contracting coronavirus from a stranger then these measures should definitely be taken for one’s own safety and that of others.