66 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2020
MTN MATCHMAKING
PANDEMIC DATING BOOM
of MINEOLA
PRESS BUZZ
Love has gone viral.
The solitude of stay-at-home orders combined
with widespread reports of people
being more open with their feelings amid
the coronavirus pandemic has resulted
in a dating boom in recent months.
That’s the word from local relationship
experts, who report a flood of people
seeking out significant others, despite
a host of new dating rules required to
maintain social distancing to avoid the
spread of COVID-19.
“The whole industry in dating has
blown up,” says Maureen Tara Nelson, a
relationship coach, professional matchmaker
with more than two decades of
experience, and CEO of Melville-based
MTN Matchmaking. “People were lonely
and they are realizing now that they
want love and they need love. Especially
when they’re isolated and home alone.”
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Psychotherapists have similarly reported
that patients have proven more
open in telehealth sessions during the
pandemic, and even Gov. Andrew Cuomo
has repeatedly touted the lockdown for
fostering more in-depth conversations
in his own home.
As it so happens, the governor was
recently ranked as the most desirable
bachelor in New York in MTN’s annual
survey of what women are looking for
in a man. His brother, CNN anchor Chris
Cuomo, a happily married coronavirus
survivor who had to self-quarantine, tied
at the top of the most-wanted list.
“Women in quarantine are setting their
standards very high, but I think under
these stressful circumstances, women
want a strong take-charge kind of guy,
like the governor and someone who can
live in a basement for three weeks and
still look buff,” Nelson says.
While demand is increasing, so are the
rules for dating. Nelson, who says her
matchmaking service has resulted in
more than 1,000 marriages, has been
coaching would-be couples on how to
make Zoom videoconferencing dates
romantic. Men and women who want to
see more of each other can later meet in
person.
Some rules never changed, such as
passing the agency’s background check,
financial check, and compatibility and
chemistry tests. But as studies have
shown that love boosts the immune
system, it seems MTN has found a cure
for coronavirus.
“We were not meant to be alone,” Nelson
says. “People get sick less when they’re in
love. Children are happier when they see
their parents happy in love.”
-TB
Maureen Tara Nelson touts celebrity
clientele, but doesn’t name names.
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