Kissing and hugging will be banned in the new series of First Dates Ireland

Kissing and hugging will be banned in the new series of First Dates Ireland, the show’s production company has confirmed.

Viewers of First Dates Ireland are well used to seeing daters give each other a hug upon meeting or even a peck on the lips if things have gone well but due to this new world of social distancing, this kind of behaviour will be no more on the show.

Stuart Switzer, Chief Executive of the show’s production company, Coco Content, has said that “they can blow each other kisses but no kisses or hugs on our watch due to social distancing. They must and we must abide by all of the protocols. That is an absolute.”

If any potential daters were in any doubt, Stuart added: “Any contact is out. It is challenging but everyone is beginning to realise it is the only way we can work. We will have a safety officer on board for the show who will make sure everyone is abiding by the rules. If they don’t, they are off the set for obvious reasons.”

Last month, the show confirmed that they won’t even be getting the traditional handshake from maitre d’ Mateo and that they’ll just have to settle for a wave when they rock up to the Gibson Hotel in Dublin.

It’s something daters will have to get used to, whether their meeting takes place on TV or in the real world but hopefully, if we all keep contributing to the fight against Covid-19, people will be free to lock lips once again. That should be motivation enough.

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