Sex workers list 'safe' sex positions for customers to follow to minimize risk of transmitting coronavirus
In the hope that Switzerland will lift its temporary ban on prostitution, sex workers across the country have drawn up a list of rules that they claim will minimize the risk of transmitting Covid-19 in brothels. The government of Switzerland placed a temporary ban on the industry two months ago in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, thereby leaving thousands of sex workers in the lurch.
Prepared by the organization ProKoRe, the plan to reopen the industry suggests that sex positions that allow for a safe distance between faces are advisable, including "doggy style" and "reverse cowgirl". According to a report by Swiss media outlet Watson, the aforementioned positions reduce the risk of transmission of the deadly pathogen. The woman is able to face away from her sexual partner in both "doggy style" and "reverse cowgirl" positions, thereby avoiding face-to-face proximity, stated the report.
Meanwhile, other measures in the plan aimed at protecting the health of sex workers include washing bed sheets and hand towels at a temperature of at least 140 degrees after each customer, as well as ventilating rooms for at least 15 minutes before the next session. Furthermore, sex workers are recommended to wear a face mask covering the mouth and nose at all times.
The document mandates all brothels to furnish gloves, condoms and disinfectants and ensuring that any session does not exceed 15 minutes. It also advises prostitutes not to touch any personal belongings of customers, such as jackets. The brothels would also be required to record customer contact data for the purpose of tracing and maintain the same for four weeks.
By outlining the above guidelines, the document calls for lifting lockdown restrictions for sex workers to coincide with the next phase of relaxations starting June 8. ProKoRe also pointed out to the Swiss government that the current ban on the industry was giving rise to illegal sex work and a litany of safety issues. Switzerland is well known for its legal and regulated sex industry, which has considerably reduced cases of trafficking, forced prostitution, and most forms of pimping.
However, the temporary ban on the industry came on March 16 as part of measures undertaken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 24, a Thai woman was arrested and fined 1,500 Swiss francs ($1,547) for not closing her establishment located in Rheineck in the canton of St Gallen. Last month, a Chinese study found that there was a distinct possibility that coronavirus could be transmitted through unprotected sex.
According to the study, conducted at Shangqiu Municipal Hospital — the only designated center for the treatment of Covid-19 in Shangqiu, Henan province — traces of the virus were detected in the semen of men who had contracted the infection. Although the study did not prove beyond a doubt that the virus can be transmitted through sex, it did hint at the possibility. As a result, experts are now advising people who are battling the virus or have successfully recovered from infection in recent times to abstain from sex.
The age range of the men who tested positive for the virus in the study was from the 20s to 50s. Out of them, three had an underlying health condition. Since no further tests were conducted during the study, it was unclear as to whether the virus survived in their semen for a long period of time and if it was viable.
"If it could be proved that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted sexually in future studies, sexual transmission might be a critical part of the prevention of transmission, especially considering the fact that SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the semen of recovering patients. Even if the virus cannot replicate in the male reproductive system, it may persist. Abstinence or condom use might be considered as preventive means for these patients," lead author of the study, Dr Diangeng Li of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, suggested.
"To avoid contact with the patient's saliva and blood may not be enough, since the survival of SARS-CoV-2 in a recovering patient's semen maintains the likelihood to infect others," the doctor added.