Coronavirus: Ways to stay social online while in self-isolation

Everyone should avoid non-essential contact with others to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the prime minister has said.

As schools shut and some people work from home, many are feeling cut off from their everyday hobbies and social lives.

But the internet offers a means to stay connected and to keep us all entertained and educated through the days of isolation.

Here are just some of the ways people are already using technology to lift their spirits.

Socialising remotely

Groups have also been finding innovative ways to socialise, hosting dinner parties and even Brownies meetings online.

Goose’s Quizzes usually runs 45 pub quizzes in Scotland, but has started doing live online sessions every night, with hundreds participating.

“It’s been a pretty bad couple of weeks and pub quizzes bring the community together,” says Andrew Wildgoose, founder of Goose’s Quizzes.

“So we wanted to find a way for people to still enjoy them.”

Even book clubs are operating digitally, with private WhatsApp groups forming to share reading lists and Rebel Book Club launching a 14-day free reading challenge for anyone who needs extra accountability.

People have also been downloading the free Google Chrome extension Netflix Party, which allows users to watch Netflix together.

It synchronises screens and creates a group chat to communicate.

BBC