Couples quarantining together can result in several different ways... For some, this mass amount of time together can bring two people closer. Partners now have time to explore the interests of their significant other, participate in activities together that bring them closer, experiment sexually with them, or simply spend together, that they may have never had before due to school, work, or travel taking up time in their days. Now that people are stuck in their houses, not supposed to leave unless of an absolute emergency, there really is nothing in the way of being with your partner all the time. On the other hand, all this time together could draw couples away from each other, becoming annoyed with one's partner, and the lack of space they have from them. Some may see this situation as a dream, while others may be coming out of the quarantine single.
Maybe this virus could be a test of one’s relationship?
With endless time on their hands, some may find this time as an opportunity for a Movie marathon, taking walks, cooking together, having deep and intellectual conversations… the list goes on depending... For newer couples, however, it could be the time to explore their partner, getting to know them in a sense that they hadn’t had the chance to yet. Even for couples that have been together for years upon years, it could be a time to re-explore their partner, discovering new things about them that they weren’t able to see in their years together due to life getting in the way.
Couples of all ages are going to have different takes on what it is like to be quarantined with a significant other. College students, for example, have the freedom to see each other whenever they please, it is up to them to manage their time wisely. So, with the responsibilities of class, outside school activities, work, and their social life, it is rare that they can spend all their time with their partner anyway. Katie Nace and Morgan Weaver, both 21-year-old university students, have been dating for more than three years. The two were quarantined for 14 days, just them two, “Sometimes she pissed me off and I’d piss her off,” said Weaver, “But it definitely wasn’t a negative experience.” They had a fairly set routine during their quarantine time and would make sure to take time during the day to do things alone: reading books, working out and relaxing. “Cooking was so fun together,” said Nace, “we never really spend time cooking meals together, and we wouldn’t even sit down and read our books like we were when we were quarantining together.”
When it came to the couple’s sex life, the number of times they had sex increased. With only the two of them being in their residence, they were able to experiment in different places around the house. “Our days would have sex mixed in between,” said Nace. Overall, the couple enjoyed their quarantine experience together. “If you can’t deal with someone in quarantine then you definitely shouldn’t be together. Nothing about quarantine made me think ‘wow’, I couldn’t marry this guy’,” said Nace.
Some couples during this time have quite the opposite of 'the house to themselves'. Brantly Reidl and Henry Florence, both 21, have been together at Reidl’s family house with her parents, and two sisters. “We were already so close. Honestly, especially because he’s here with my family, he’s gotten closer with my sisters and my parents,” Reidl said.
Florence and Reidl, being together for a little over a year, said that they learn new things about each other every day; especially while being quarantined together. “Being around Brantly during quarantine has helped me with understanding more of how she goes about dealing with certain parts of her day,” said Florence, “when she sits down to work, she’s extremely focused on the work she’s doing, so if I try to distract her she gives me these looks. It helps in the aspect of thinking ahead, if Brantly ever needs to work from home or something, I obviously know to keep my mouth shut.”
Like Weaver and Nace, Reidl and Florence also make sure to have their space from each other in a day’s worth of time in order to do homework, workout, and just relax. “We’re not really attached at the hip,” Reidl said. Florence has exclaimed that since he’s been able to spend so much time with his girlfriend’s family, he’s comfortable with being around the house without her. Although Reidl and Florence emphasize the importance of being independent while being in quarantine with a significant other, they also think it is important for the couple to feel connected. “I feel like, if you’re comfortable being yourself around your person all the time during a time like this, it’s a good sign you two work well together,” Florence said.
For newer couples, this is the most time that they have ever spent with their partner, and in such, are getting to know them on a level that they’ve never known before. Ida Carbonnier, 23, caught her boyfriend cheating on her by looking through his Instagram direct messages during the quarantine. “It’s hard to know what to feel,’ Carbonnier said.
She also says that when someone hurts her, she needs to talk to that person. “So, I like that he’s here. Makes me heal,” she said.
The couple is currently stuck under the same roof, due to them both not having a family that live in Australia. “He sleeps on the couch now,” says Carbonnier.
Couples of all ages are seeing changes between their partners and themselves. Barb McCormack and her husband Michael McCormack have been married for 31 years. “We are constantly evolving and growing,” she said, “not always at the same pace and not always in the same direction, but so far, we have been able to keep it as growing and renewing ourselves together.”
Even after 31 years, the couple says that this is the greatest amount of time they’ve been able to spend together consistently. One of the biggest changes for the couple during the quarantine is that since they are not out and about during the day, they are not able to come home and recap their day’s events to each other. “We are doing groundhogs day every day,” said Barb, and are adjusting to the sudden change gracefully.
“When you have known someone for so long, you take the good with the bad and you have to overlook the stressful times and be thankful and realize that you are blessed and lucky to be able to share your life with someone who loves you no matter what. It’s all about the journey and how you handle plan B,” Barb McCormack said.
Whether couples are developing deeper feelings for one another, losing interest in each other, or simply just having a great time being together during the months of coronavirus, some sort of change is inevitable. If you can’t stand to be with someone during a pandemic, should you be with them at all?