As Valentine’s Day nears, students navigate new challenges that come with dating during a pandemic. With traditional dating locations being closed, students are getting creative in order to safely keep in contact with peers during this year’s romantic season.
Some couples, who were together prior to COVID, have found it easy to keep their relationship together due to working out the formalities without any digital or six-foot barriers between them.
“We have a super-strong bond so nothing really changed,” senior Kassie Lopez said. Lopez, who has been with her boyfriend since 2017, noted that the only thing that changed about her relationship was that they could not go out for dates.
“We get takeout and eat to nice views,” Lopez said.
Similarly, newly partnered couples have also struggled with date ideas. Junior Antonia Doyle got together with her partner over summer break, near the beginning of the pandemic.
“We’ve pretty much done mostly outdoor activities like hiking, going to the beach, or having picnics,” Doyle said. When asked about future, post-quarantine, date plans, she said, “There are definitely lots of date ideas that we would love to do… like bowling, roller skating, going to the movies or even just a dinner date at a restaurant.”
Alternatively, some students are taking a more modern approach to the topic of date ideas by using technology to keep in contact with their partner.
“You can still do online dates and keep each other company with video calls and Facetime,” senior Jean Barrios said. He and his partner got together over quarantine and have been communicating in a mostly digital format. “We do online dates of just watching movies or binging shows and all that.”
A view of the water at the Presidio of San Francisco, a national park. Enjoying outdoor activities with your partner is a safe way to go on dates during quarantine.
San Marin Pony Express 