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THREAD: Some thoughts prompted by this thoughtful article. Don’t be fooled by the editor’s headline: it’s not about selfish people wanting a hookup. It’s mainly about new relationships being hampered by the pandemic. /1 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/feb/11/we-are-desperate-for-human-contact-the-people-breaking-lockdown-to-have-sex
That’s not exactly the same focus as @reunitecouples, although as someone who began dating a friend just after lockdown 1 I sympathise personally. In summer the virus seemed on the way out & new relationships seemed possible again. Then came autumn & the bans on indoor mixing. /2
Still, most of the people who contact @reunitecouples (and I keep this account going more for them than myself) have been with their partners for several - even many - years. And I’d love it if some journalists told their story too one day. /3
People mustn’t get the impression that the only issue here is restrictions on sex, or people who can’t control themselves during lockdowns. The issue I’m most interested in is the ongoing misery of couples who are deprived of each other’s company and... /4
emotional support during a really tough time. The unemployed man who hasn’t seen his partner for months - can’t even drive to go for a walk with her. The depressed, lonely woman with a failing business who can’t legally be in the same room (or garden!) as her fiancé. Etc etc. /5
So let’s keep asking @BorisJohnson to make reuniting couples a priority. So many have complied for so long. But endless separation is becoming unbearable. It’s cruel & unreasonable. The relationships of non-cohabiting couples matter too. They shouldn’t be criminalised. /END
