Now that COVID-19 has been officially declared a global pandemic, people around the world are staying indoors in an attempt to halt the spread of infection.

However, being in quarantine doesn't mean you have to be lonely, and there's technology out there that can save the day. Yes, an app allowing people who are in quarantine to have drinks with their friends remotely is gaining traction as a new way for us all to keep partying.

The app in question is called Houseparty, which is a video messaging app allowing users to add friends and throw digital parties with them, and even play games like Quick Draw, Trivia and Heads Up. Users can also send notes and video messages to each other and jump into other houseparty groups.

The app's popularity speaks for itself: searches for the term 'Houseparty' have increased by 300 per cent in the US according to Google Trends, while the app itself has gone from being ranked at number 304 in the Apple Store to number two for Social Networking apps.

The World Health Organisation has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, prompting many people around the world to begin self-isolating to avoid putting a strain on hospitals.

In a statement, WHO wrote that they had been: "Assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic."

At the time of writing, there have now been 286,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 114 countries worldwide, and a total of 11,906 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.

Now that COVID-19 has been officially declared a global pandemic, people around the world are staying indoors in an attempt to halt the spread of infection.

However, being in quarantine doesn't mean you have to be lonely, and there's technology out there that can save the day. Yes, an app allowing people who are in quarantine to have drinks with their friends remotely is gaining traction as a new way for us all to keep partying.

The app in question is called Houseparty, which is a video messaging app allowing users to add friends and throw digital parties with them, and even play games like Quick Draw, Trivia and Heads Up. Users can also send notes and video messages to each other and jump into other houseparty groups.

The app's popularity speaks for itself: searches for the term 'Houseparty' have increased by 300 per cent in the US according to Google Trends, while the app itself has gone from being ranked at number 304 in the Apple Store to number two for Social Networking apps.

The World Health Organisation has declared COVID-19 a pandemic, prompting many people around the world to begin self-isolating to avoid putting a strain on hospitals.

In a statement, WHO wrote that they had been: "Assessing this outbreak around the clock, and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction. We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic."

At the time of writing, there have now been 286,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 114 countries worldwide, and a total of 11,906 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.