‘Lockblocking’ is the dating trend all single people are dealing with right now

Raise your hand if your love life has been personally victimised by the coronavirus.

Have you had to cancel a date you were looking forward to because of the lockdown? Are you still chatting away on dating apps, despite knowing you won't be able to meet up with any of your matches for ages? Maybe you just miss hooking up with that random friend-of-a-friend you always seem to bump into on nights out? Well, you're being lockblocked. Yes, we now have a term for the way the global pandemic has gotten in the way of dating. "Lockblocking" refers to having "your date plans cancelled or rescheduled due to COVID-19 lockdown measures". The word was recently coined by OKCupid and we reckon it's spot on. While we're all about being responsible and beating this disease, "lockblocking" accurately sums up the frustration of being single and not being able to meet up with anyone while we stay in. In a survey of its users around the world, the dating site found that 36 per cent had cancelled a date over lockdown measures. Still, not everyone is letting the pandemic get in the way. Twenty per cent of those surveyed said they changed their plans to meet virtually while 44 per cent still met up but did so outside and kept their distance. Plus, there are some upsides to dating during lockdown, according to OKCupid Global Chief Marketing Officer Melissa Hobley, like being able to take things slowly.

"Spending a bit of face to face, one on one time, even if only virtually, with your date will help you get to know one another better and build your relationship," she told Metro. "And, the social distancing restrictions will only make things even more exciting for when regulations ease further again."

Every cloud, eh?