Bars closed? House parties and happy hours move online

A couple enjoy a happy hour and cheers friends and family from their home using Zoom to connect digitally at the end of their first Friday working from home due to concerns over the rapid spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Brooklyn, New York, US. Downloads of group video chat apps — where each person who logs in to a group chat appears in their own “window” on the screen of a phone, tablet or computer — have gone through the roof. — Reuters

LOS ANGELES: Coronavirus lockdown or not, Amaya Howard plans to unwind after a hard day's work by sharing a few glasses of wine with her friends.

But with bars closing across the United States, they have started meeting online via Houseparty — one of several group video apps doing a roaring trade during the pandemic.