Post-lockdown dating AMA with The Independent’s senior lifestyle writer Olivia Petter

As lockdown restrictions continue to lift and single people prepare to enter the real-life dating world again, Millennial Love author Olivia Petter answers all your questions

(Shutterstock / DavideAngelini)

If everything goes to plan, all lockdown restrictions will lift in England on 19 July, meaning single people will finally be permitted to date normally after more than a year of having their love lives scuppered by social distancing.

That’s right: no more awkward elbow bumps on Bumble dates or virtual cocktail tastings. This is real-life dating. And, understandably, people are anxious about its return. So much so that the feeling has its own acronym: Foda, or fear of dating again.

The term was coined by dating app Hinge in January after the app anticipated concerns among its users about diving back into the dating scene post-pandemic.

Subsequently, research from eHarmony found that a quarter of millennials were suffering from Foda, with half (49 per cent) of people concerned due to a loss of social skills; while 23 per cent of people said they were worried being intimate with someone would put them at risk of catching Covid.

But fear not. To mark the release of Millennial Love, The Independent’s senior lifestyle writer Olivia Petter will be here to answer all your questions on how to re-enter the dating scene after restrictions lift live at 1pm on Friday 2 July.

All you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments box to leave your question.

Don’t worry if you can’t see your question – they will be hidden until we join the conversation to answer them. Then join us live on this page at 1pm as Olivia tackles as many questions as she can.