Tinder users are matching with Wuhan residents to find out first-hand info about the outbreak

Now that Covid-19 is officially considered a pandemic, getting swiped right on Tinder should be as easy as announcing in your bio that you’re free of the coronavirus. 

But to keep those matches coming on Tinder, perhaps one would only need to be a resident in Wuhan, the Chinese city that’s been in lockdown since January.

That’s because the popular dating app is being used as a platform for journalists and the generally curious to get first-hand information on what’s actually going on in the epicentre of the ongoing virus outbreak. Twitter user @thedrelin foresaw the opportunity to do so way back in the early days. 

Setting my tinder to Wuhan so I can get the real scoop on what’s going on

— Миша (@drethelin) January 27, 2020

It’s been particularly hard in China for word from the ground to get broadcasted, what with the government censoring communication about the virus’s impact. 

Citizens — including actual medical practitioners — have gotten into trouble for attempting to warn others about the severity of the outbreak, while popular social media platforms in China are actively cracking down on politically sensitive terms in group discussions on the coronavirus.

It’s gotten to the point that Chinese netizens are utilising deliberate typos, PDF files and Morse code to push back against online censorship. 

To be clear, access to Tinder is prohibited in China, but it’s nothing that a virtual private network (VPN) can't bypass. And as BuzzFeed News found out, Wuhan-based Tinder users are gladly opening up to their overseas matches about their experiences in the city. 

A Vietnam-based English teacher by the name of James has been documenting his conversations with Wuhan residents on his blog, revealing a mix of anxiety, boredom and optimism in the city. 

And horniness too, because this is, after all, Tinder. 

Yes, you can get in touch with singles in Wuhan as well, so long as you’re willing to subscribe to Tinder Gold. The subscription will grant users access to a premium feature called Tinder Passport that allows them to set their location of choice to anywhere in the world, so they can swipe on other users as if they’re really in that place. So if you set your location in Wuhan, you’re gonna get matches with Wuhan folks. Don't swipe right on the actual coronavirus though. 

Well. @Tinder has the Coronavirus now, yes this is a legit profile I ran across? pic.twitter.com/lgbYiXXeE3

— Chance Howard (@ChanceHoward09) March 9, 2020

Of course, don’t expect everyone to divulge first-hand information that easily. 

When you download Tinder to try chatting to people in Wuhan... and your commitment to the story is thrown into question. pic.twitter.com/h79wyXmH2L

— Isobel Yeung (@IsobelYeung) March 10, 2020

ilyas@asiaone.com