Prostitution and the pandemic: 2 years on

COVID-19 first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. The World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. So we are now into the third year of the pandemic. The effects on the global commercial sex industry are many.

I covered early effects of the pandemic on prostitution in March 2020. As things unfolded I was able to report further on the major changes that had taken place in the sex industry. Other reports followed including write ups on bar girls becoming cam models and go go bars turning to live streaming in an attempt to stay afloat.

Now seems like a good time to look back and reconsider the changes that have occurred. As “temporary closures” turned into permanent shutdowns the habits of millions of people have changed. Whether not all or even some of those changes will be permanent remains to be seen. But there can be no argument that the situation is much different now than it was at the end of 2019. And that applies to nearly every locale.

North America

North America was never really a hotbed of prostitution. Most of what goes on is limited to underground facilities, freelancers and low contact adult entertainment. Most of that remains even in these days though there are various differences that may be spotted by the most attentive.

Strip clubs in the United States seem to be more or less back to where they were in the years before the pandemic. There are some exceptions and select venues and areas have their own rules in place. But for the most part a person in almost any major city in America can go to a club and watch women dance in some state of undress for money.

The few legal brothels in the United States such as the Moonlight Bunny Ranch in Nevada are open and operating normally. The same can be said of most of the unofficial brothels located in Las Vegas where prostitution is actually forbidden by law.

Spas and massage parlors in the United States and Canada are for the most part open. Though most are taken measures to protect health. This includes increased cleaning and in many cases the use of things like masks or even rubber gloves. Prices for the most part have not changed despite inflation in other areas of the economy.

Latin America

Latin America is a large area covering two continents. Although one common language connects most of this region that is where some things end. As you might expect in an area with this size there have been various approaches and responses to the pandemic.

Countries like Mexico never closed their borders to passengers at any point in the pandemic. Others like the Dominican Republic closed temporary but reopened without restriction early on. In nearly all countries prostitution continues on virtually unabated. That applies both to the legal and regulated places as well as the underground or unofficial venues and individuals. There are of course some exceptions.

Bars, massage parlors and freelancers all remain active in the Dominican Republic. There is not much to show that there is a pandemic or slowdown at all. Though things always have appeared quieter since the unrelated rise of Youtube broadcasters and the disappearance of the lost bars of Sosua.

Bars in Tijuana remain open though all staff is supposed to be vaccinated. Street walkers and less official brothels haven’t changed much one way or another. As always money is the motivator and other things are second or maybe third thoughts.

Colombia requires visitors to be vaccinated. Some have gotten into trouble for showing up with fake vaccination cards. Meanwhile most of the available prostitution continues though some measured may be put into place here or there. The same could be said of some other official and semi-official red light districts around the region.

Europe

Europe is a vast continent with various countries. Some have followed their own policies. In some countries policies even vary by region. Overall Europe seems to have taken one of the strictest approaches outside of Asia and New Zealand.

Prostitution continues in Europe despite all the various lock downs and restrictions. This should surprise no one. Prostitution is not only the world’s oldest professional. It is also the most resilient.

Though the commercial sex industry in Europe is not operating on the level and scale that it was prior to 2020. Prostitution being legal and regulated in much of the continent means that it is also especially vulnerable to legal restrictions. The response to limited operation of the above ground industry has been an emergence of a more underground or at least unofficial sex industry.

So while a few FKK sex saunas have reopened with very limited staff and an even more limited customer base demand has gone elsewhere. Many have also been closed time and time again. One of the largest brothels in all of Europe even closed permanently.

This has allowed some freelancers and streetwalkers who remain in the game to charge more than they would have in previous times. This combined with an concerted effort by some forces to shutdown or relocate sex workers has had a real impact.

Some countries like Switzerland seem less impacted than others like Germany. But as we have seen over the last two years things can change overnight. While some areas have put together rules requiring brothels to close if there is a certain number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in an area there seems to be no end goal for a complete reopening in place anywhere.

Asia

Countries like China, Vietnam, Laos and even Japan have remained more-or-less closed off to foreigners for the entirety of the pandemic. Other countries like Cambodia and Thailand have gone back and forth with their policies. One day some people can center under certain circumstance. The next day the circumstances and people are different. It’s a fluid situation that has caused many would-be-travelers to simply postpone or cancel any plans.

Others have been more adventurous or ended up in the region for other reasons like family or business. They can find some available prostitutes though nowhere are things as they were a mere two years ago. Even if restrictions were not in place there are economic forces at play. A place like Pattaya or Angeles City simply cannot sustain huge numbers of sex workers with so few paying customers around. The massive Malioboro in Jakarta catered more to locals than anything but it too has closed its doors for good.

The powers or perhaps willingness of the state to enforce the laws also has something to do with it. So for example Brix in Singapore was completely and utterly shuttered. Then places like Walking Street, Soi Cowboy and Nana Plaza in Thailand have been either shut down or very heavily regulated for much of the last 2 years. Big soapies like Celebs and Zayuri in Chiang Mai have closed too. Though they were apparently shuttered due more to economic impact than any specific legal restrictions.

Next door in Cambodia similar rules are in place; officially, bars there were closed for something like 600 days straight. But in reality many hostess bars were open the whole time for those who knew to knock on a door even if the lights were out. The same can be said for many massage parlors, karaoke clubs and brothels across the continent. This is apparently true even in some of the strictest environments like Macau, Hong Kong and mainland China.

Other places are officially open but with various protocols in place. For example some massage parlors and clubs in Jakarta require rapid tests to be performed before a massage. Clubs in the same city like the Classic Hotel are open at a limited capacity but they require customers to prove that they are vaccinated before they can enter. And some blowjob bars like 7 Heaven in Bangkok require customers to keep their masks on throughout their sessions. Of course these operate in the same cities where other places have no rules in place at all.

Looking ahead

Thus this is where we find ourselves in early 2022. The pandemic started in early 2020. The impact of that pandemic was felt instantly. Things have not recovered since even if there is a semblance of normalcy in some corners of the world for some period of time.

There is hope. Vaccines were developed in late 2020 and have been administered over the years since. New medicines have been developed and boosters have been administered too.

But there is also reason for dismay. Variants come and go. News continues to flow in. Much of it is negative. Regulations are dropped here and increased there. Pilot programs become permanent. Future plans are abolished before they are administered.

I have to admit that I have no special insight and I do not know where things will go from here. But I will continue to report on the commercial sex industry around the world as much as I am able. I thank you for reading and I hope you will continue to do so in the future.