Publication date: Oct 23, 2024

To determine associations between the banning of sex work during the COVID-19 pandemic, and work, financial problems, mental well-being and HIV/sexually transmittable infection (STI) testing among sex workers in the Netherlands. Two cross-sectional online surveys. The first survey covered two time-periods: pre-COVID-19 (1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019) and period 1 (15 March 2020 to 1 July 2020). The second survey covered period 2 (1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021). The Netherlands PARTICIPANTS: In total, 106 (first survey) and 196 (second survey) sex workers participated. Most of the participants in the first and second survey were cisgender women (respectively, 76. 4% and 66. 5%), followed by cisgender men (respectively, 12. 3% and 15. 7%) and the combination of transgender men, transgender women, non-binary or other (respectively, 11. 3% and 17. 6%). Most participants were born in the Netherlands (respectively, 61. 4% and 69. 7%). We provide descriptive statistics of self-reported work during and prior to COVID-19 measures, financial problems due to COVID-19 measures and HIV/STI testing and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also performed logistic and linear regression analyses to identify risk factors associated with reporting financial problems due to COVID-19 measures, not testing for HIV/STIs and lower mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. In periods 1 and 2, respectively, 69. 6% and 62. 0% reported financial problems due to the COVID-19 measures. Among those who reported to have had sex with clients, the percentage not HIV/STI testing was: 4. 5% (95% CI: 0. 9; 12. 5) pre-COVID-19, 28. 2% (95% CI: 15. 0; 44. 9) in period 1, and 15. 2% (95% CI: 9. 7; 22. 3) in period 2. In the multivariate analysis, reported financial problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with not HIV/STI testing (OR: 12. 1, p

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