Coronavirus: App connects people quarantined with strangers around the world in bid to tackle loneliness

‘It benefits people’s mental health to have random spontaneous connections,' app co-creator says

App lets people in isolation because of coronavirus talk to others around the world (Stock)

A new app aims to combat loneliness among individuals who are self-quarantining or in self-isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak.

QuarantineChat is a voice-app that allows users to chat with other people around the world who are confined to their homes – without requiring the need for phone numbers.

According to the creators of the app, artists Danielle Baskin and Max Hawkins, who spoke to Artnet, they came up with the idea of random phone calls with strangers last year, but have since introduced the QuarantineChat service.

To use the app, individuals simply download Dialup, a “voice-chat app that connects you serendipitously to the people you want to stay in touch with”, before being connected with others around the world who are also dealing with the effects of coronavirus.

Once their phone rings, users are randomly paired one-on-one with another individual, who they can then have a conversation with.

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“It’s to bring magic and serendipity to a new reality where thousands of people are stuck inside alone for the next month all over the world,” Baskin and Hawkins told Business Insider of the service, which is specifically for those in quarantine.

In addition to combating loneliness, Baskin and Hawkins believe the app can be beneficial to the mental health of those who cannot leave their homes and may be experiencing stress as a result.

“It benefits people’s mental health to have random spontaneous connections – and it’s also fun,” Baskin told Artnet, adding that they added subtle humorous details such as elevator music to the service in the hopes that it brings people “moments of joy”.

According to the co-creators, there are currently about 70 people using the service, but it can handle up to 20,000 people.

The voice-call service comes amid new guidelines released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which aim to help people suffering from mental health issues as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

According to the organisation, those in isolation should “stay connected and maintain your social networks”.

“Even when isolated, try as much as possible to keep your personal daily routines or create new routines,” the guidelines state.