Dating During A Pandemic

Global pandemic + dating = absolute nightmare. Dating in general is already exhausting whether you’re actively looking for a relationship or just having some casual fun. We’ve all swiped through Tinder and Hinge a million times to occupy ourselves during quarantine and regrettably even circulated back to the token ex out of boredom and the sheer fact that we quite literally cannot meet anyone else right now. Alas, the dating cards are kind of against us now more than ever.

Quarantine and COVID-19—the coupling we have all come to passionately loathe—has stripped us of any stable dating scene, if there ever was such a thing. Coffee dates with that artsy guy from Bumble? Sorry, no more caffeineinduced hipster love stories here. Clubbing with the cute girl from the subway? Unfortunately not, but hey, at least you won’t have to do your trying-to-impress-them club dancing. Drinks at the bar? A walk through the park? One night stands? We shall walk of shame no more.

Like dating needed to get any more complicated, COVID-19 is truly going to test what we’re looking for with a partner. Whether you’re more into no-strings-attached or searching for the one, we all must adjust how we approach dating. The Digital Age we live in has taken on a whole new meaning these past months in quarantine. From work, to school, to social life, online is our new lifeline. So how are we supposed to...you know… actually meet people? We’re all familiar with the world of online dating and dating apps, and it is no wonder that people will turn to these platforms more and more in order to safely meet dates. These apps, which were once a quick confidence boosting game for myself and others (don’t even deny it), have now become one of the sole ways that we can reach the seemingly unreachable dating pool.

If you are familiar with the world of dating apps, you probably know that each app or website tends to have its own trademark scene. Most notoriously, Tinder, which is famously known for its hookup culture. Alas, hookup culture may be few and far between as this pandemic rages on, yet, I still know plenty who have taken the risk, swiped right, hooked up, and ended up with COVID… not really the desired ending to a relationship if you ask me. For the time being, it may be best just to use these apps as ways to still “get out there” without actually getting out there. If something blossoms, getting to know someone safely may be our best bet.

Okay, so now you’ve met someone. How do you actually get to date them? Forget “Zoom University,” now many are actually attending the “Zoom Date.” Yes, really. Face to face dates are a thing of the past. It’s almost as if we are all entering that long distance relationship zone where Facetime and video chats are the glue holding a relationship together.

Take it from someone who just started a relationship in quarantine—long distance in the midst of a pandemic is as difficult as it gets. While my boyfriend and I are only an hour and a half away from each other, residing in two different states makes things tricky. Visits are pretty much out of the question due to state restrictions and his hockey team’s rules. Facetime dates and nightly calls have been our method of survival so far, but I worry how long this will be able to sustain the honeymoon phase that we drift through.

While worrying has always been a substantial and annoying accessory in the dating game, now there’s even more to worry about than before the pandemic. When going on any in person date, there are some things to consider: to wear a mask or not, that is the question. Now will we ever know if they truly look like their profile picture? The location also needs to be considered: somewhere creative, comfortable, and COVID-19 safe. A date to the museum can still be a thing, just take a virtual tour with your significant other or reserve tickets and wear a mask! A movie date can become a drive-in date (even cuter in my opinion). Instead of dining indoors, try an outdoor picnic or even cook with each other over Facetime! Patience is a virtue, and the key to dating, especially during this pandemic. Patience to meet someone, to get to know someone, and especially to make a relationship work in the midst of this craziness. A pandemic relationship is unlike any other that I have been in. The patience it is taking to get to truly know one another, is something that I haven’t dealt with before. I’m all for taking things slow, but COVID-19 brings a whole new meaning to this concept. While he and I have been an item for a few months now, there are still major things I am figuring out about him and major milestones that we have yet to accomplish.

Dating has never been ideal, and we have about a million and one rom coms that prove just that, but nothing in When Harry Met Sally, Bridget Jones, Love Actually, You’ve Got Mail, How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days, or even 13 Going on 30 prepared us for this. Hell, even Carrie Bradshaw herself couldn’t have prepared any of us for this.

But as much as we’re all pessimistic about dating, we’re just as resilient. We bounce back after every weirdo Tinder date, every strange meet-the-parents, and even the awful I don’t like your friends run-in. If we can handle seeing any of our exes in public and make it out alive, we can survive the dating game during a global pandemic.