WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.  – Covid-19 has forced millions of Americans into their homes and caused an epidemic of boredom. But people are finding clever ways of getting 'out ’n about' without ever leaving the front door.

David Reddish is one of them. He’s all dressed up with somewhere to go, despite being under lockdown.

He’s poured himself a Piña colada and pulled out his favorite ‘70s vintage disco shirt. 

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“I got it this winter and was looking forward to a party season this spring. But since that’s not happening I’m doing the next best thing,” Reddish told Spectrum News 1. 

It’s all in prep for his night on the town — straight from his living room. 

Reddish, an editor for an LGBTQ blog, is among the millions hosting virtual happy hours, only his friends are a group of self-described geeks who work in the entertainment biz, an industry that’s been particularly hard hit.

“I was truly shocked everyone was so ecstatic, so excited to be able to do something,” he said. 

The R.S.V.P. was the easy part, because virtual happy hours, at first, can be kind of annoying. There's the constant cross-talk and glitches, not to mention the never-ending freeze-frames. 

As the world adapts to this new normal, friends and co-workers are using video conferencing to cut through loneliness and check up on each other. And yeah … it ain’t perfect.  

“Its not like, ‘Oh, we all talk,' there’s kind of a knack to it,” said Scott DuVall, a cinematographer.  

In order to avoid mayhem, Reddish moderates the party, going from topic to topic. But no matter the rules of this virtual shin-dig, round one is off to a rough start.

“It’s super awkward,” Randy Frank, an actor, said. “I still feel like I’m in my house drinking by myself, looking at a screen.”

And yet, there’s no denying this works. A sense of community pops through the pixels.

“It is defiantly different,” DuVall said. “It’s the best we can do right now. It is a facsimile of connectivity, you can only connect so much.”

Still this is a welcome respite for Randy Frank, who is the only one in the group quarantining alone. For him, being lonely is only the tip of the iceberg.

“It feels weird, he said. “I’m stuck here by myself, what if I like fell down and died?”

These virtual happy hours may not be the perfect substitute for a disco and a DJ, but for these five friends, it truly is the next best thing. 

“I wish that I could spend more time physically,” said Kris Garcia, an administrative assistant. “This is not something that I would want to make a habit, but unfortunately this is what has to happen.”