Buenos Aires has imposed strict self-isolation measures across the country during the coronavirus lockdown and some citizens not involved in serious relationships may have found it particularly difficult to maintain a healthy sex life.

Argentinian health official Dr. José Barletta said during a Friday briefing that it was important to avoid having sexual intercourse with strangers during the pandemic, and suggested that “virtual sex” and masturbation could be a suitable alternative for those not spending the quarantine with their regular partners, the Buenos Aires Times reported.

“Social distancing is the most effective measure of prevention of the coronavirus. So when we speak of distancing, it is important to avoid face-to-face contact and that includes sexual encounters with people with whom we do not live,” said Barletta, the infection specialist, who is also a leader of the government’s task force in relation to various transmitted diseases, including HIV.

The official added that “there are a lot of online applications to meet people, and tools such as video calls, virtual sex and sexting”, that can come to someone’s rescue during the pandemic. However, he insisted that even after masturbation, the hands should be washed very thoroughly, while sex toys, keyboards, phones or other applications used during the sexual act should be properly sanitised.

“It’s more important than ever to wash your hands after having sexual relations, after masturbation, or virtual sex,” the doctor publicly advised, while also insisting that sexual contact with your regular partner should be avoided too, if he or she has a fever.

Although the specialist argued that there currently was not enough information on the ways coronavirus could be transmitted and whether this can happen through sexual acts, he said that it was “quite likely” that the infection could be passed on through anal and oral sex, and thus advised the use of condoms.

There are currently more than 2,800 confirmed coronavirus cases in Argentina, a country of over 44 million; the country has effectively been on lockdown since the end of March, and the emergency measures are expected to continue until 26 April or later.