4 Valentine's Day activities you can do safely with friends

• The pandemic has left many single people touch-starved and missing their friends.
• Valentine's Day celebrations with friends may be more difficult to host this year.
• Video games, mutual movie streaming, and Zoom cooking sessions are fun options.

While single-friendly alternatives to Valentine's Day like Galentine's Day and Palentine's Day might have been fun in the past, having a gathering of friends isn't as safe this year.

But the pandemic has left many single people touch-starved, missing their friends, and isolated, and social contact is more important than ever.

Though we can't gather in person, Insider has compiled a creative list of COVID-19-safe ideas for hanging out with your friends on February 14.

Read More: 5 ways to celebrate Valentine's Day as a queer person and feel good about it

Have a Netflix party or group streaming session with your favorite movies

If you can't host a movie night at your house, bring the party online instead. The Teleparty, Hulu Watch Party, and Group Watch apps allow people to stream a movie or show on different computers at the same time.

Instead of hopping on the phone and trying to match your friends' computer audio, the app does it for you. If you and your friends like to make commentary during a movie, it also provides a chat feature where you can live chat during the film.

Movies about friendship like "Girl's Trip" and "Wine Country" or TV series' like "Girlfriends" or "On My Block" can set the atmosphere.

Do a silly PowerPoint night with your friends over Google Hangout or Zoom

Try the new TikTok trend of hosting a PowerPoint night with your friends, where each of you gets to pick a fun, random topic and present them to your group.

Hosting a PowerPoint night over Zoom could give you and your friends to chance to learn about each other's interests and passions.

If you want to make the night a challenge, add a ranking system to choose a winner.

Play an online game like 'Among Us,' 'Quiplash,' or 'Animal Crossing'

Multiplayer games like "Among Us" and "Animal Crossing" made a big splash in 2020 because they allowed us to connect from afar.

If you don't have a Nintendo Switch, other games like "UNO" and "Heads Up!" can be played online for free and give you and your friends something to talk about on the phone.

Have a video food or drink-making session

If you like cooking, bartending, or "Iron Chef," this one's for you. Find a recipe online you and your friends want to recreate as a group the day before and make it together on a group chat.

If you want to get fancy, support a local bar or restaurant by getting a take-out kit to make your own cocktail or food at home.