BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The Argentine government, through a daily show aimed at educating the public about strategies to cope with COVID-19 self-isolation protocols, endorsed "virtual sex" and "sexting" as effective ways of practicing safe sex during the pandemic.
During today’s episode of the daily broadcast — co-hosted by the South American country’s Secretary for Access to Health, Carla Vizzotti, and the Undersecretary for Sanitary Strategy, Alejandro Costa — infectious diseases expert Dr. José Barletta recommended available tools such as video chat, virtual sex and sexting as good alternatives to in-person sex.
Secretary Vizotti introduced the broadcast by explaining that his agency is receiving “many consultations about safe sex in the time of COVID, and there are perhaps many more interested people who are afraid of asking.”
In overtly candid language, particularly by U.S. public health standards, Dr. Barletta explained to the audience that there wasn’t enough evidence available yet to verify if COVID-19 could be transmitted via semen or vaginal and anal secretions.
“It is clear, though,” Dr. Barletta explained, “that the virus can be very easily transmitted via daily acts such as kissing,” and considered it “very likely that it could be transmitted through practices such as anal or oral sex.”
The Argentine physician emphasized that “social distancing” at this point should include “sexual encounters with people we don’t live with.”
“There are a lot of online apps to meet people,” Dr. Barletta continued. “Those can be used without any issue, but we have to understand that the best course of action is to avoid meeting up with people we don’t live with.”
The guest of the government-sponsored public health broadcast then explicitly endorsed video chats, virtual sex and sexting as viable alternatives during the quarantine period.
Dr. Barletta also encouraged people “more than ever” to wash their hands after masturbation or virtual sex, and to disinfect keyboards, phones, sex toys or any other object used for sexual gratification.
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