It’s not clear how many polyamorous people there are in the UK. According to one YouGov poll from 2015, 34 per cent of Britons believe polyamory to be “morally acceptable” while 39 per cent said they don’t think human beings are monogamous by nature. In the US, there is clearer data, with one study published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy in 2017 suggesting that just five per cent of the American population identify as polyamorous, though up to 20 per cent have attempted some form of consensual non-monogamy in their lifetime. “Polyamory works for people who are happier with more than one partner and choose to get their needs met in a variety of different places,” explains psychologist and sex educator Dr Lori Beth Bisbey. “It can benefit people who have high self-esteem and are confident in their place in each of their relationships.”

Because Megan, Kyle and Billy began isolation together, they have refrained from seeing their other partners in order to prevent spreading Covid-19 between households. This has intensified things between Billy and Megan. “I’m seeing her way more than usual,” he says. “Our other sexual partners are all moving to sexting or on pause. So my relationship with Megan has gone from 0 to 100, but it’s a good thing because it’s forced us to communicate better about when we need alone time and when we need support.”

As illustrated by Billy and Megan, being in lockdown has imposed a degree of monogamy on polyamorous couples. For some couples, this might work in the short-term. But in the long-term, it could create difficulties as it goes against the very core of their ideologies regarding relationships. “It is particularly difficult for polyamorous people to suddenly not be able to see the partners they regularly see,” says Dr Bisbey. Not only will they miss the physical contact with other people, but those who are living with one partner risk making their other partners envious. “It might also be difficult spending all your time with just one partner because it puts pressure on that relationship to meet the needs that your other partners have been meeting,” she adds. “And of course, not being able to see your lover for an indefinite amount of time can be frustrating and cause anxiety.”

“Here’s the thing: the ability to love more than one person at once means that you also have the ability to miss more than one person at once,” he says. “Yes, I have a live-in partner. But that doesn’t help one bit when I’m missing my other lovers.”

The inability to travel abroad has also made things difficult for New York native Daniel Saynt, 37, founder of the NSFW (New Society for Wellness) sex club. “I was at a music festival in Sint Marten when the virus struck. I flew out with my partner, Moses, for my birthday expecting to be there for a week. We ended up trapped for almost three months.” Previously, Daniel and Moses would only see each other once a week, and while spending so much time together has strengthened their relationship, it has left Daniel feeling unfulfilled. “I miss my other partners and a sex life that doesn’t feel so limited,” he says.

The nature of the pandemic has changed the way Daniel communicates with his other partners. When they might’ve once sent illicit imagery to one another, now, they find themselves enjoying deeper emotional discussions about how they are coping in lockdown, which Daniel puts down to exacerbated anxieties about not knowing when they will see one another again. Daniel plans to return to New York in June; Moses will stay put. “I’m glad to be getting back to rekindle things with my other partners. But I’m also saddened knowing I’m leaving someone who’s really been supportive through all of this.”