Coronavirus pandemic sparks surge in SWINGERS as close to a MILLION Americans seek group sex
THE coronavirus pandemic has brought with it a surge in the number of Americans using swingers' apps, it has been revealed.
Data shows that there are currently at least 721,927 active swingers across the United States.
Swinging is a practice in which people already in a committed relationship engage in sexual activity with other people.
It is a form of non-monogamy or open relationship.
The figures are based on the number of people using threesome dating app 3Fun to swing since lockdowns were imposed in March.
They show users in some of the country's major metropolitan centres, with the largest cities seeing the highest uptake.
Of the 8.4million people living in New York, 22,874 have used the app to arrange extramarital encounters.
The figure for Los Angeles is 12,228 while in Houston it is 9,068.
Chicago had 7,347 users, Las Vegas had 5,744 and San Antonio had 5,375.
In Philadelphia, 4,894 people used the app, while in Phoenix the number was 4,606.
The number of swingers in Dallas was 4,509, and in San Diego it was 4,251.
3Fun said the number of messages being sent between its users had increased stably through April, May, and June.
It also said the level of activity varied between cities, with the number of messages being sent per user in New York three times higher than that in San Diego.
Spokesperson Jennifer White said: "Social distancing makes offline meetings tough because all the bars, hotels and restaurants are closed.
That means most open-minded people are trying to meet new friends online during the pandemic.
"Once the pandemic is over, they will finally meet offline for the first time and live out their fantasies together."
The coronavirus is spread through touch and droplets breathed out by infected people, and experts have warned against sleeping with partners from outside your household while lockdowns remain in place.
Speaking to the Guardian, Dr. Carlos Rodríguez-Día, a professor at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, said: "There is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted via either vaginal or anal intercourse."
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But he added that it could be passed on through touching and kissing.
The pandemic has also seen an uptick in users from regular dating apps meeting for the first time via video call instead of in-person.
