Consensus on Recommendations for Safe Sexual Activity during the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

Francisco Cabello, Froilán Sánchez, Josep M. Farré, Angel L. Montejo
2020 Journal of Clinical Medicine  
Sexual activity offers numerous advantages for physical and mental health but maintains inherent risks in a pandemic situation, such as the current one caused by SARS-CoV-2. A group of experts from the Spanish Association of Sexuality and Mental Health (AESexSAME) has reached a consensus on recommendations to maintain lower-risk sexual activity, depending on one's clinical and partner situations, based on the current knowledge of SARS-CoV-2. Different situations are included in the
more » ... ns: a sexual partner passing quarantine without any symptoms, a sexual partner that has not passed quarantine, a sexual partner with some suspicious symptoms of COVID-19, a positive sexual partner with COVID-19, a pregnant sexual partner, a health professional partner in contact with COVID-19 patients, and people without a sexual partner. The main recommendations include returning to engaging in safe sex after quarantine is over (28 days based on the duration one can carry SARS-CoV-2, or 33 days for those who are >60 years old) and all parties are asymptomatic. In all other cases (for those under quarantine, those with some clinical symptoms, health professionals in contact with COVID-19 patients, and during pregnancy), abstaining from coital/oral/anal sex, substituting it with masturbatory or virtual sexual activity to provide maximum protection from the contagion, and increasing the benefits inherent to sexual activity are recommended. For persons without a partner, not initiating sexual activity with a sporadic partner is strongly recommended.
doi:10.3390/jcm9072297 pmid:32698369 pmcid:PMC7408907 fatcat:nks24foldrgnjkajdgfz6pk33i