'I'm Not Going Outside': Online Dating Surging During Coronavirus Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Dating during the pandemic has its challenges, especially as people are still being asked to be socially distant. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, online dating is surging.
Deanna Scott, of Roxborough, is single but not yet ready to mingle.
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"I'm not going outside," Scott said. "But definitely still wanted to connect with people in some way, so online dating has been the answer."
The 32-year-old is using dating apps like Hinge and OkCupid and has found a guy from North Jersey she's been chatting with every day since mid-March.
"We'll FaceTime, we'll chat," Scott said. "I think, right now, we're keeping it casual because we haven't met and it could be awkward."
Scott says they plan on meeting once it's safe to do so.
"Yeah, we definitely do. In March, we were like, 'Oh, yeah, let's plan for May,' which is not happening at this point. But as soon as it's safe, we're definitely planning to meet up," she said.
Scott is not the only one in an online-only romance. Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and others have seen an increase in the number of messages being sent between users, as many people continue to follow stay-at-home orders.
A new podcast called "Dating Diaries: Quarantine Confessions" tells the stories of people trying to find relationships during the pandemic. It's produced by Glass Entertainment in Bala Cynwyd.
"A lot of people who are single and who live alone are struggling and want to know what their love life looks like," said podcast host Andrea Gunning.
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Digital or not, relationship expert Nedra Fetterman, of Ardmore, says human interaction is critical to a person's emotional health, but finding that interaction can be tricky during a stay-at-home order.
"Dating Diaries, the podcast, really made me aware that even though we're all going through the same storm, we're not in the same boat," Fetterman said. "And they're really giving a voice to those finding themselves alone."
Click here for more on the "Dating Diaries: Quarantine Confessions."
