Fear of contracting the coronavirus has driven Hongkongers off the streets and into their homes—specifically, it seems, their bedrooms.
According to the Family Planning Association (FPA), there’s been an uptick in the number of abortions, and applications for abortions, handled by the organization since the epidemic began.
The FPA received 7,477 termination of pregnancy applications from January to August this year, an increase of more than 30% compared to the same period last year.
Read more: 6 myths debunked about Hong Kong’s sex industry
Three-quarters of the applicants were unmarried women or women below the age of 26.
The organization also carried out around 300 more abortions in the first eight months of this year. FPA performed 2,155 abortions from January to August, up from 1,851 last year.
The FPA released the statistics late last month to coincide with World Contraception Day, which takes place on September 26 every year.
Of course, the numbers alone do not categorically suggest that Hongkongers are having more sex now than during the pre-coronavirus era.
Read more: Unsatisfied city: Almost half Hong Kong women say their sex lives suck
But if a rise in Tinder users and a boom in sex toy sales from China to the US are any indication, perhaps the increase in abortion numbers is good news for sex-unhappy Hong Kong, where studies suggest a concerning percentage of the population aren’t satisfied with their sex lives.
The months to come—or years, depending on how long this virus sticks around—will be telling of whether the city will see a coronavirus-induced baby boom. And some might argue that Hong Kong could surely use a boost, what’s with declining birth rates threatening an already shrinking workforce.
