In the midst of several depressing and fear-inducing headlines, it seems only right to share some good news and start addressing the quiet but very important questions on everyone’s mind — can we have sex in a pandemic?

Short answer? Yes. The virus hasn’t been found to transmit via sexual intercourse. Long answer? It depends on multiple factors like who, when and where you are planning on doing the deed. Following public health guidelines, you should only be leaving your home for essential services, and sex, unfortunately, isn’t one of those.

That being said, if you do want to have sex, it would have to be in your chosen quarantine space with your fellow quarantine mate(s). This means it’s definitely not a good time for first dates or hookups. If you do have an established partner who is living with you during this time, by all means, have your fun, but do remember to wash up before and after. If you don’t have your partner quarantining with you, you are, as the NYC Health Department put it, “your safest partner.”

If you do have a partner but they don’t live with you, welcome to the reality of every long-distance relationship ever. Now would be a good time to practice your sexting skills. Throw some Doja Cat music in the background and have fun with it. But it goes without saying that if either one of you, online or in-person, is having symptoms, feeling sick or just not up to it, it’s better to hold off until they’re able, willing and consenting.

Now here’s where things get a little tricky. Even though COVID-19 hasn’t been found in vaginal fluid or semen, it has been found in saliva and fecal matter. So there is still a chance of getting infected if you or your partner are already infected whether you’re showing symptoms or not. That being said, you should take precautions with oral or anal sex anyway. 

As a friendly reminder, STDs do not practice social distancing, so remember to use a condom. Or a dental dam. Or the several contraception options available to you (seriously there’s a whole bunch of them). And finally, if you have zero intentions of having corona babies nine months from now, two words: birth control.