For the last year plus, we’ve all been wearing masks, staying six feet apart from strangers, and generally avoiding contact. However, as we all get vaccinated and start reentering the dating world, you might be wondering what the safest way to get busy is! Turns out, OBC commandment “Thou shalt kiss anything but my mouth” is now medical advice, because some doctors believe that oral sex might be safer than kissing!

The Guardian asked some experts about sex in the age of post-pandemic, and here’s the more interesting answer:

What is more dangerous – kissing with tongues or having sex (with no kissing)?

“Intuitively and pragmatically,” Nutland says, “if there’s lots of close mouth-to-mouth contact involved, that will increase the risk.” There’s a lot we don’t know about how the disease is passed on, says Draeger. She adds that it’s not a sexually transmitted infection in the normal definition of the term, but “if I talk about where the virus is, that might help: it can be found in saliva, in semen and in poo … Ebola stayed active in semen for six months; that isn’t a sexually transmitted disease, but can be transmitted sexually.”

Well, that’s confusing. However, it seems like minimizing mouth-to-mouth contact is the way to go… so maybe stick to kissing everywhere ELSE! Safe, and sexy. Head to Guardian for more answers to your COVID-safe dating questions.