Wear mask during sex, skip kissing, masturbation is safest — Canada’s top doctor advises

Chief medical officer Dr Theresa Tam said the lowest risk sexual activity option is self-pleasure, and pointed out that activities with strangers increase the risk of infection.

People wearing protective face masks kiss while standing at a station in Hong Kong | Bloomberg

New Delhi: Consider wearing masks during sex to protect yourself from Covid-19, Canada’s chief medical officer Dr Theresa Tam strongly advised Wednesday. Dr Tam also suggested that people skip kissing during sex and asserted that self-pleasure is the lowest-risk sexual option.

In a statement, Dr Tam explained that the risk of contracting the virus from semen or vaginal fluid is minimal. However, sexual activities with strangers could increase the risk of infection. Further, activities that involve close face-to-face contact, like kissing, are a high-risk activity.

“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,” she said.

Dr Tam also advised monitoring one’s and their partner’s symptoms ahead of sexual activity. She said, “The lowest risk sexual activity during Covid-19 involves yourself alone.”

While asserting that sexual health is an integral part of overall health, she assured Canadians that they “can find ways to enjoy physical intimacy while safeguarding the progress we have all made containing Covid-19.”

Since 1 September, Canada has recorded 1,29,923 cases of Covid-19 and 9,135 deaths.

Risk-reduction techniques for sexual activity

Another study, conducted by researchers at Harvard University and published in June, also concluded that wearing a mask while having sex was advisable.

It revealed that though sexual abstinence carried the lowest risk of infection, it was not “feasible” for many. For having sex with strangers, the study advised that the “patient should be counselled on the risk for infection from partners”.

The study also suggested some “risk reduction techniques” such as minimising the number of sexual partners, avoiding sex with partners who have Covid-like symptoms, avoiding kissing and sexual behaviours that carry a risk of “decal-oral transmission” or involve semen or urine, wearing a mask, showering before and after sexual intercourse, and cleaning of the physical space with soap or alcohol wipes.