Twelve per cent reported having accessed STI testing since social distancing measures were introduced. Inability to access PrEP was uncommon: less than 5% of respondents were unable to access PrEP from their usual IMPACT trial clinic and less than 5% reported issues with accessing PrEP online. The most common reason for PrEP interruption was not having sex during this time – two-thirds of PrEP interrupters said this. Thirty per cent of respondents took PrEP before the coronavirus outbreak and, of these, two-thirds had interrupted their regular PrEP use. As restrictions were first put in place around three months ago, this suggests that the number of men hooking up (and needing sexual health services) may soon increase. Around 10% said that they thought they would be able to refrain for up to four weeks and 30% for up to three months. Loneliness and a need for intimate physical contact were important reasons for having sex.Īsked for how long they would be able to refrain from having casual sex because of the coronavirus, 57% thought this could be for up to six months.

For half of these men, it had been with one partner only, although there were 5% of the sample who had had more than five casual partners. During the lockdown 24% had had casual sex.