FB aims its Messenger at coronavirus battle

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook on Monday began enlisting outside developers to create ways its Messenger service can help health organisations battling the novel coronavirus.

The social network also invited software savants to take part in an online "hackathon" aimed at creating ways to use Messenger to ease social-distancing and deliver accurate information about the pandemic, according to Messenger vice president Stan Chudnovsky in a blog post.

He unveiled a global programme intended to connect government health organisations and UN agencies with developers who can create ways to use Messenger share accurate information and speed up responses to people’s questions.