Dating corona-style leads to love connections, even marriage

NEW YORK (AP) — If there's one thing the pandemic hasn't canceled, it's the search for love.

Throughout the health emergency, daters have taken to apps, websites and matchmaking services in search of connection, with more meeting in person as the crisis drags on at a time when every touch is calculated and fraught.

Some daters insist on safety precautions before leaping into offline meetups. Others take no precautions, relying on mutual trust. A lucky few are on the ultimate step, marriage.

One survey done in May found about 42% of single Americans and those in relationships but quarantining apart downloaded a dating app in lockdown. The survey also found that one-third of attached Americans said they’ve reached out to an ex while in isolation, and 37% of singles said they did the same, according to the data from OnePoll.

In March, the popular dating app Hinge experienced a 30% increase over January and February in messages sent among users. In June, compared to the same month last year, there was a 13% increase in the number of dates — virtual and in person — in the U.S. and U.K., said Logan Ury, chief researcher for the app.

Ury said the resolve to reach out amid coronavirus chaos is strong.

“Daters are feeling creative. They're feeling resilient, and they're not willing to put a year of their love life on hold because of the global pandemic,” Ury said.

Look no further than Jordan and Brittany Tyler in Allegan, Michigan, as evidence of that.

Jordan, an adjunct professor of communications at Western Michigan University, and Brittany, who supervises a program for autistic youth, had both been divorced about a year when the pandemic hit. Neither had dated online before they signed up for Match.com.

“When the lockdown happened an alert went off on my...