COVID-19 lockdown: Many apps trying to keep people engaged

Amid a lockdown across the country to curtail the spread of COVID-19, there are many apps that are trying to make life more involved and a little easier with contactless delivery options, maintaining health and wellness, gaming, navigation guidance and even providing seamless education.

MapmyIndia Move app is one such app that aims to empower citizens to help authorities about lapses in enforcement related to COVID-19.

In these difficult times every bit, even the smallest action taken in the right direction, counts. We are enabling the citizens to help authorities. Our objective is to facilitate better governance through better coordination or cooperation amongst citizens and authorities, MapmyIndia CEO and Executive Director Rohan Verma said.

With limited resources and many constraints, the government authorities are doing their best to maintain calm and keep Indians safe and sound and using resources like the Move app and MapmyIndia maps citizens can act as force multipliers for the authorities, he added.

Another app HealthifyMe is an artificial intelligence (AI)-led health and fitness app that launched a slew of initiatives to help people improve their immunity and adopt a healthy lifestyle during the 21-day lockdown.

The company has launched Immunity Assessment Tests which can be taken by anyone free of cost.

Those who score low on the test will also receive a free consultation by a trained coach.

HealthifyMe has also launched home workouts on its app and daily live workouts with coaches, along with trackers for sleep, smoking and handwashing, factors that are the bedrocks of long-term immunity. These offerings are available for all users under the Immunity Tab in the HealthifyMe App.

HealthifyMe CEO Tushar Vashisht said that it takes 21 days to build a habit and the app aims to use the lockdown to build healthier habits and improve their immunity.

So we have launched the biggest ever upgrade to our app with several new features centered around eating balanced diets, exercising at home, sanitizing hands and sleeping better. We are also giving away free nutritionists and exercise consultations to anyone who needs help and together I am confident we shall overcome this virus and this crisis, he added.

Meanwhile, edtech platforms like Edubrisk are also rising up to the occasion to help solve the educational crisis in the country.

They are running free learning sessions for teachers or institutions so that they can take online classes for their students.

Also, they are providing free demo entries for students who need to finish their courses on their platform.

The dating and gaming industry is also not far behind as during this time of lockdown, dating apps like Gleeden are providing alternatives for individuals to spend their time at home doing something that they find pleasurable.

The platform has registered a hike of over 70 per cent on its platform during this period.

The gaming platforms are also not far behind and are giving lucrative offers to woo the customers.

Falling the suit, Fantasy and online gaming platforms like the Baazi Games have also witnessed a hike of 8-10 per cent on its online poker platform, PokerBaazi.

These platforms are proving to be very handy in order to divert the attention of the masses locked at their homes.

As the social distancing measures in the wake of the COVID-19 are critical for both delivery executives and consumers, leading security and community management solution MyGate has partnered with Swiggy, Licious, Grofers, Dunzo and other leading e-commerce companies to enable contactless deliveries of essential services.

The company's Leave at Gate feature, which establishes a clear process for contactless deliveries, is being made available proactively to all the 1.5 million homes on its platform.

The over 7,000 gated communities on MyGate can now also elect to make it mandatory for their residents to pick up their parcels at the gate.

Urban Company, formerly UrbanClap has partnered with Srinidhi Foundation to set up a relief fund to support gig workers and independent contractors on its platform during the COVID-19 crisis.

This fund will be used to provide sustenance support to deserving individuals and their families over the next few months, till the situation comes back to normalcy.

Shared living start up Stanza Living has also set-up a dedicated 'employee contingency fund' of nearly Rs 10 lakh to cover basic medical expenses for any employee in case of contraction of COVID19.

The fund includes voluntary contributions from employees across over 10 cities, who have pledged a part of their salaries to the fund, with the co-founders pledging 50 per cent contribution to the fund collection.