If you are single and stuck at home, you may be wondering if you should be dating during the COVID-19 shutdown. Syracuse therapist Kirsten Bonnell says you can date, but virtually.

It’s a new phase of dating that has to be done during these times.

“People are just lonelier right now, and it opens up a whole new level of dating,” she said.

Dating at a distance through online dating apps has become the new norm for some like Cliff.

“I see a lot more people now [online,] it seems like,” he disclosed. “A mixture of people.”

He said the increase of people include those who are bored, those who are just lonely, and people who are actually looking to find someone.

“It’s kind of limited online dating, because you can’t really meet up with the person,” Cliff said.

Since you can’t really meet up person to person, apps such as Bumble and Hinge have asked people to “date from home,” which means having a date by video chatting.

“I think it’s one of the things that they should carry through [after the COVID-19 shutdown is over]. I notice a lot of the apps allow a way for you to FaceTime within the app itself, so you don’t have to exchange information,” he said.

Video chatting is something not many people would do before meeting up on dates prior to COVID-19. This would sometimes lead to "catfishing," which is when someone pretends to be a different person online.

That’s changing and for the better due to the video chatting feature on dating apps, Bonnell said.

“I think it is actually a really good opportunity to get to know someone,” she said, “because if you aren’t seeing them in person, you can’t be intimate, and you get to know them on a different level.”

Cliff agrees.

“It’s about really getting a feel for the person,” he said.

He said you can save time, money, and energy on dates by finding out if you actually get along with the person virtually in the comforts of your own home.

“Safety is a huge thing. You don’t want to meet someone you don’t know,” Cliff added.

Virtual dating, like having dinner together on video, watching a movie or just chatting, might be the new wave for those looking to date before the COVID-19 shutdown is over.

“It might be awkward like most first dates and situations in real life are,” Cliff admitted, “but you can get past that by just talking and communicating, and if it works, it works; and if it doesn’t, then you are just one swipe away from the next person.”

Both Bonnell and Cliff agree the new phase of dating has some perks to it, but they remind us to be careful.