‘Partner’ needs defining as desperate singles use term to justify hook-ups and dates
Coronavirus has changed nearly every aspect of our daily lives, but some singles have found a loophole in the rules to justify casual hook-ups and dates.
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Desperate singles are “taking liberties” with the word ‘partner’ and using the term to justify hook-ups and casual dates.
Under the Victorian Government’s lockdown rules, “partners living separately can visit each other at home”.
But Melbourne University social expert Dr Lauren Rosewarne said anecdotal evidence suggested this exception had created “a loophole” which was being exploited by people to hook-up and date.
Confusion reigned around the definition of “partner”, with some people using the term in a sexual sense, she said.
It comes as hook-up apps Tinder and Bumble, and online matchmaking service eHarmony, introduce video dating, designed to help “singles meet and build relationships in a virtual space”.
But Dr Rosewarne said, in her experience, many singles were still meeting in the flesh.
“You are allowed to see an intimate partner if they live in a different house and people are definitely interpreting that … to facilitate any kind of intimate contact with one person,” she said.
“But if you see a different person every night of the week, obviously you may as well have been at a party … it’s a grey area because what determines ‘partner’?
“It’s not necessarily a boyfriend-girlfriend situation and we definitely use that phrase ‘sexual partner’ … so there’s a definite loophole for people who are wanting to hook up. I’d also say … sex is a driver, like no others, for human behaviour.”
She said it came down to how people interpreted “the spirit of the law”, adding most did the right thing.
“But I think we need some discussion around this word ‘partner’ … how long do you need to have known one another … because there are some people who are clearly taking liberties with the word,” Dr Rosewarne said.
A spokesman from eHarmony said it advised people to follow government social distancing guidelines, while Tinder said users were sent a COVID warning message to their inbox when they started using the app.
“While each day presents new challenges, we are inspired by the number of people who are turning to Tinder to connect … though we’re distancing ourselves to prevent the spread of the virus, we are not disconnecting,” he said.
Bumble said there had been a 17 per cent increase in the volume of messages exchanged on its platform during the last Victorian lockdown.
Victoria Police referred the Herald Sun to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment on what constituted ‘partner’, but it failed to respond to email inquiries.
In announcing a tightening of coronavirus restrictions in some regional areas on Thursday and a ban on home visitors, Premier Daniel Andrews said: “People are visiting friends and family and taking the virus home with them.”
He said banning visitors made sense because homes were where people “relax … get comfortable and … forget all the rules about keeping safe.”
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