As COVID-19 escalates and reaches the scale to be declared as a pandemic, the escort industry faces the threat of a temporary downfall as the effects of coronavirus 2020. The industry that significantly depends on in-person appointments and meeting clients one-on-one is considering alternatives to suffice the respective income.
The novel coronavirus has become a global threat. As it continues to spread across different parts of the world, hindering most economies and industries, the escort business during coronavirus is not left behind. An expert in the industry said, “Many ladies are freaking out right now. They fear losing their clients as terror escalates over the concept of kissing and getting intimate. Moreover, there is an imposed restriction on traveling in various parts of the world as well.”
On 11th March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) made the announcement that the deadly coronavirus or COVID-19 has reached the “pandemic” status officially. Across 114 countries, there are over 118,000 cases of COVID-19. As the dreadful disease continues spreading on a grand scale, countries across the world are taking drastic steps towards minimizing the travel & physical interactions between people and exercising safety precautions for coronavirus.
Given its rapid spread across specific parts of the world, including China (the center of origin), Italy, and Iran, nations all around are implementing all that it would take to limit foreigners to traverse through their zones. For instance, Italy has called upon a national-level lockdown. At the same time, most of the states in the USA have declared a state of an immediate emergency. Moreover, the largest airline in Canada has also canceled all its flights in & out of China & Italy.
Leading international-level health organizations, including WHO, have urged people to distance themselves from social gatherings & public outings as much as possible. To remain safe & alert, it is also recommended that people should stay at least 3 meters away from any individual displaying symptoms of cold or flu.
In the escort industry, physical intimacy plays a determining role in the overall success of the escort agencies. This is why girls involved in the industry claim that they are taking relevant precautionary steps to remain safe throughout the period. At the same time, the staff at the leading escort agencies is also concerned that the clients will temporarily stop booking appointments—at least until the overall dread of coronavirus settles down.
A girl from a reputed escort agency offering incalls from her flat in Earls Court in London says, “I feel like my professional career as an escort is going to be in jeopardy as it becomes increasingly viable to be in crowded places –let alone traveling to leading travel destinations like London. As such, my clients who hail from different parts of the world are not going to turn up to the city anytime soon. The more clients refrain from traveling to leading destinations like London, wherein the escort industry is known to thrive, the lesser we will have expectations with respect to our career.”
After interviewing several escorts, it has become evident that there is a noticeable drop in the number of clients reaching out to the escort agencies across the world. Escort agencies are known to depend significantly on traveling businessmen and solo tourists from different parts of the world. As more companies across the United Kingdom & the United States of America are sending away the respective employees to their homes and canceling business trips, the agencies are worried that fewer businessmen would approach them.
For most escorts, a major chunk of their income depends on the tips that they earn from the respective clients. Moreover, a majority of their clients are from various parts of the world who are either on a business trip or a tour to the United Kingdom. As an escort, the outbreak of coronavirus only implies further loss until people commence traveling again. The coronavirus outbreak serving as a major blow, the agencies are now dependent only on the regulars and locals.
Upon asking about the preventive measures taken by them, the escorts claimed that they are not screening the clients as of now. This is true even when the clients belong to the epidemic hotspots of the coronavirus outbreak, including China, Iran, & Italy. The staff at the leading agencies said that they are indeed extra-militant about asking the clients to wash their hands or sanitize themselves properly upon interacting with them. The agencies also revealed that they have asked the community to take extra care towards increasing the overall awareness about how to prevent the spread of coronavirus amidst all the chaos.
As multiple people are observed succumbing to the disease, the escorts remain at a higher chance of developing the symptoms. This is because they tend to interact multiple times with all sorts of clients –some even from the regions of the COVID-19 outbreak. However, for most of the escorts out there, quarantining themselves at home without interacting with clients is not an option as they have bills to pay. Therefore, the current situation in the UK escort industry is about making money while staying safe about the virus outbreak at the same time.
COVID-19 is known to spread through water droplets that are produced when the sick or infected person coughs or sneezes. The droplets could land on the hands of other people or come in contact with the nose or mouth while increasing the threat of spreading the infection. The experts in the industry portray that they are encouraging the escorts as well as the clients to exercise proper preventive measures –especially while getting intimate.
For instance, they should promote increased use of hand sanitizers, ensure direct communication with the clients about flu-like symptoms, refrain from deep kissing, and other limitations on activities involving saliva-sharing to limit the overall spread. In addition to preventing saliva sharing, the health experts also recommend the escorts & clients to be mindful about touching certain articles around them.
While the threat is real, with proper care and awareness about how coronavirus spreads, the spread could be controlled.
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