Tinder Is Giving Out Free COVID-19 Tests to Revive in-Person Dating
In this photo illustration, the dating app Tinder is seen on the screen of an iPhone on August 14, 2018 in Miami, Florida. The co-founders of Tinder and eight other former and current executives of the dating app are suing the service's current owners for at least $2 billion. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Dating and starting a healthy relationship amid a pandemic can be extremely difficult because of social distancing and other COVID-19 restrictions. Luckily, Tinder has found a way to meet your date while abiding by rules.

The dating app is set to hand out 500 users a pair of free mail-in COVID test kits, which includes one for them and one for their Tinder match, according to a The Verge report.

Tinder said this is to help people feel more comfortable meeting up with matches for real-life dates. The company will use COVID-19 tests from medical testing company EverlyWell.

EverlyWell is a company that makes at-home COVID-19 test kits, which usually cost around $109. Individuals taking EverlyWell's tests could get the results online one or two days after they mail the sample of the nasal swab done at home to the lab.

The dating app announced that more than 40 percent of its users under the age of 30 said they had not met up with a match in person in October last year, Fox News reported.

"Tinder members will be able to request a pair -- one for them, and one for the match they've been eager to meet IRL," according to the company's announcement.

Tinder's vice president of marketing for North America, Nicole Parlapiano, said the pandemic had created dating obstacles. But she added that their members are pretty optimistic about getting back out there.

"We're excited to be working with Everlywell to make it easier for our members to go and meet their matches safely," Parlapiano said.

Starting Mar. 20, Tinder users in the U.S. would be able to claim a code for their free tests from the Tinder app. However, the company clarified that a negative result does not mean that one does not have COVID-19 or cannot transmit the disease.

The dating app would start to ship out the COVID-19 tests on Mar. 22, and it would be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Young Adults Living with Their Parents

People ages 18 to 29 living with their parents had become a majority since the COVID-19 cases started spreading in 2020. The number surpassed the peak during the Great Depression era.

Fifty-two percent of young adults resided with one or both of their parents in July 2020, according to a Pew Research report. That was an increase from 47 percent in February of the same year.

The Pew Research survey also showed that young adults had been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, as well as the economic downturn it brought.

About one in 10 young adults said they relocated temporarily or permanently due to the pandemic, and about 10 percent had somebody move into their household. Some 23 percent said their reason was that their college campus closed, while 18 percent said it was due to work loss or other financial reasons.

Eagerness to Date

Meanwhile, Americans were found to be looking for partners who take precautions against COVID-19 seriously, according to a WebMD report.

In one survey, 57 percent said that they would not go on a second date if their potential romantic partner refuses to wear a mask, disobeyed stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines (55 percent), and unwilling to date virtually (21 percent).

Health experts recommend virtual dating as the safest way for people to communicate with one another. Lisa Bonos, a dating and relationships writer for The Washington Post Style Section, said that virtual dating has become popular due to the pandemic.

"A lot of first dates are taking place on FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype before people take the leap to meeting in person, such as a socially distanced walk," Bonos noted.

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