Now It’s OK To Kiss On A Date In Oregon, But Only If You’re Vaccinated

The Oregon Health Authority is giving its consent to daters to get intimate, but only if both partners have gotten their COVID vaccine.

The latest safe-dating practices update from the agency came in the form of a Facebook post, where it said, “If you're both vaccinated and taking COVID-19 precautions, intimacy is likely to be safe.”

The right to kiss on a date is a reversal from the Oregon Health Authority’s previous stance on dating, where it warned daters about kissing.

In April 2020, it said, “You are your safest sex partner. Kissing can easily pass COVID-19. Avoid kissing anyone who is not part of your small circle of close contacts.”

During the height of the COVID pandemic, health experts had recommended that singles date virtually. But as the COVID vaccine began to rollout, dating sites began to introduce features where daters could list if they were vaccinated on their profile.

The Oregon Health Authority also had other dating tips for singles looking for love during the pandemic. The agency suggested outdoor dates and wearing face masks in crowded public spaces. It also recommended postponing dates for 10 days if a potential suiter had coronavirus symptoms.

According to the Oregonian, 2.5 million residents of Oregon are fully vaccinated. On Thursday, the state reported 1,836 new COVID cases and 12 deaths, the news outlet said. Nearly 2,800 were among those that had been vaccinated.

“As COVID-19 cases have increased across Oregon, vaccine breakthrough cases have also increased, but at a much lower rate than in the unvaccinated,” the state said, as reported by the Oregonian. “Vaccination remains the most effective tool to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

Oregon has recorded over 318,900 coronavirus cases and over 3,660 COVID-related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.