Looking for Love in a Pandemic

Some Gen Z and Millennials have taken to dating apps to find love amidst the COVID-19 pandemic instead of using public spaces like bars, clubs, schools, or parties which have been shut down periodically this year due to local health and safety guidelines.

*Illustration by Johnny Neville | The Corsair*

The use of dating apps has increased since the pandemic began as people try to find ways to connect. Dating apps made modifications to accommodate people's interest to interact safely as COVID-19 cases were on the rise. Tinder now offers a video chat feature to give its users the ability to connect face to face within the app. Bumble has added a COVID-19 safety option allowing users to let others know what they’re looking for when it comes to pandemic friendly dating; letting users check off preferences between indoor & outdoor dates, if they’d prefer all parties wear masks, and whether or not to keep social distance.

Niki Jazayeri and Nathan Libman, are a couple who connected on Tinder, and are still together. They both attended El Camino Real Charter High School, where they knew of each other but kept to themselves.

A few years down the line, they stumbled across each other on Tinder, during quarantine. They messaged for a couple of weeks before meeting up in person for their first date on a socially distanced hike. "We were talking for a week and I thought, ‘I like this guy’s energy,’” said Jazayeri.

Because of COVID-19, they took extra measures of safety precautions within their comfort zone when they started dating. “It was a month in and I would wear masks anywhere that wasn’t his room,” said Jazayeri. As they each lived with their families they knew it was necessary to get tested for COVID-19 and wear masks.

As many activities were still closed at the beginning of the pandemic when they first started dating, they spent most of their time together inside each other's homes, which they felt strengthened their relationship. “We were each in each other’s safe space in a way, it wasn’t like our dating was just going out and doing things, it was more one-on-one time,” Libman said.

However, Chris Morgan, a Pierce College student, didn’t have the same experience. “Early in the pandemic I would go on dating apps but there was never anything real...nothing would come out of it,” said Morgan.

While many have gone to dating apps to connect with others during the pandemic, Morgan found success through social media. “It was mid-quarantine [when] I got in contact with a childhood friend [through Instagram]...after a while, we started hanging out more, then we started dating after spending a month together in quarantine,” said Morgan.

Morgan and his partner spent the majority of their time in the pandemic together visiting each other’s homes until their relationship ultimately came to an end. It was “both good that we could spend all our time together, but also too much time together is not enough time to yourself,” said Morgan.

Jazayeri, Libman, and Morgan all in their own way believe that communication is key. “I feel like as long as you're both clear about where you stand, things don't have to get complicated,” said Morgan.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new recommendation that fully vaccinated people can gather both indoors and outdoors, means more date options will soon be available for singles looking for love.