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Stuck at Home? There’s an App for That!

The spread of COVID-19 has led many people to self-quarantine and practice social distancing in order to do their part to help contain the virus. But many tech companies are doing their part as well by offering free apps and services for a limited time in order to help people stuck in their homes to work, workout, stay healthy, and stay sane.

Fitness: 90-Day Free Trial Many fitness apps are extending their free trials during this time, including Peloton , which is offering new subscribers a 90-day trial instead of just 30 days. While Peloton may be most famous for its exercise bike and treadmill, this offer is solely for its app and doesn’t require you to own either piece of equipment. You can stream thousands of live or on-demand classes for exercises you can do indoors such as stretching, yoga, high-intensity interval training, strength training, and more.

Work: A Full Suite of Remote Tools With many people now forced to work remotely, several tech companies including Microsoft and Google are offering up their services to help make collaborating a bit easier. But a new option that just launched in March is also now available for free until July 1. Zoho Remotely is a suite of 11 cloud applications including tools for chatting, file sharing, meetings, presentations, training, managing projects, tracking progress, remote assistance, and more.

Connection: Being a Good Neighbor

Nextdoor is a neighborhood hub that helps people connect. And in March the company launched two new features that are especially useful during a time in which people are encouraged to practice social distancing. Help Map is an interactive screenshot of your neighborhood through which members can add themselves with information about types of errands and support they are able to provide so that people can easily find those nearby who can offer what they need. And Nextdoor Groups helps people to easily form groups, such as Parent Groups, Book Club Groups, Faith Groups, so people can connect at a time when they can’t physically get together.

Meditation: Doctors Who Need a Mental Break Popular meditation app Headspace is offering free access to Headspace Plus until the end of 2020—but only for U.S. healthcare professionals. As a way to assist HCPs who are likely to be overwhelmed helping people during this pandemic, Headspace wanted to offer them a way to deal with their stress. HCPs can redeem this offer by using their National Provider Identifier (NPI) and email address. So while this offer may not apply to you, be sure to let the HCPs you work with know.

Telehealth: Free Coronavirus Assessment Telehealth companies like Ro are offering free online coronavirus assessments that try to determine if someone is at risk for coronavirus based on their symptoms, travel history, and community contact. If needed, they will then connect them to a medical provider for a free consultation. While these assessments cannot definitively test if someone has COVID-19, Ro hopes this will help alleviate some of the pressure on hospitals and doctor’s offices by keeping low-risk patients at home.