Scruff and Jack’d are peppering their apps with public-safety announcements promoting hand-washing and keeping a safe distance from people showing symptoms. But as we know, people can transmit the virus while showing no symptoms at all. And not everyone believes the science anyway. When I asked a man who messaged me on Grindr why he wanted to meet up, given that the C.D.C. advises extreme social distancing, he responded: “I don’t believe in this. I don’t believe the media.” Then he blocked me.

It’s not just some gay men who refuse to prioritize communal safety over fun. Far from it.

This past weekend, before the state of Florida finally broke up the party, college students on spring break flocked to the beaches there. A young man in Miami told a CBS reporter: “If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I’m not going to let it stop me from partying.” As of Friday, Florida had reported 520 cases of the coronavirus and 10 deaths.

Tinder is very much online, even as it directs users to W.H.O. guidelines. Grindr is doing something similar. When I reached out to the company this week, a representative told me, “We are advising users to follow guidelines provided by the C.D.C. and have published these guidelines in the Grindr app to help users make the best-informed decisions when interacting with others.”

But can we really afford to rely on horny people forced to stay at home all day to “make the best-informed decisions” about everyone else’s health? History — and my Grindr inbox — tells us no.

I don’t think the apps should be shut down. Mr. Silverberg is right: They give people in my world an opportunity to connect socially, not just physically. But everyone needs to cooperate to halt the spread of a deadly virus. That is something that gay men should understand in our bones.