Randy New Yorkers aren’t getting any.
The city’s free Condom Availability Program is running low on prophylactics — and New Yorkers may not get any action on a rubber resupply until fall, health officials said.
The dry spell also extends to lube.
A disruption in federal funding is to blame for the lubricant and sex sheath shortage, said health department spokesman Patrick Gallahue.
“The Health Department is currently working through the procurement process and expect safer sex products will be available to order as soon as mid-October,” he said in a statement.
The free condom drought was first reported by Hell Gate.
Many nonprofits told the outlet that the city program’s stock of condoms and lube has been low or nonexistent since at least the start of 2024.
The program started giving away free condoms in 1971 and expanded over the years into high schools, online ordering, branded “NYC Condoms” and other products, according to the health department.
More than 30 million safer sex products have been distributed roughly 3,500 locations across the city under the program, officials said.
Would-be lovers in the Big Apple left feeling blue for free condoms aren’t alone — city officials said the shortage has hit health departments across the country.
Federal funding that typically supports core HIV prevention activities, including the procurement and distribution of safer sex products, failed to rise to the occasion in recent months, officials said.
The city last received a shipment in May, from which officials distributed 878,000 products, including more than 400,000 condoms of different types, officials said.
Gallahue said the health department still has a limited supply of condoms for in-person deliveries and direct community partners to order. A tiny supply of lubricant packets are also available for in-person delivery, he said.
“We just have limited supply at the moment and are working to replenish inventory as soon as possible,” he said.
