They call themselves the quarantine gang.

They are not blood-related. They are not romantic partners.

They are friends brought together by the unprecedented restrictions on face-to-face contact that have upended life across America. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-01/coronavirus-isolation-quarantine-buddies">https://www.latimes.com/californi...

The foursome — a songwriter, a therapist and two journalists — has decided to be a family, of sorts, in a situation no one could have imagined a few months ago. They share meals, strum guitars, even hug.

“There’s something novel about this. It’s an adventure.” https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📸" title="Camera with flash" aria-label="Emoji: Camera with flash">Mel Melcon

Under stay-at-home orders from L.A. officials, people should go out as little as possible, and group gatherings are forbidden.

Quarantine buddy arrangements are sometimes met with disapproval from those who adhere to a traditional definition of family. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-01/coronavirus-isolation-quarantine-buddies">https://www.latimes.com/californi...

But some experts say that forming self-contained units is an acceptable way to lessen the stresses of solitude.

In a city like L.A., where people arrive from all over to make it in creative industries, friends often serve as family for those far from home. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="📸" title="Camera with flash" aria-label="Emoji: Camera with flash">: @MelMelconPhoto

There is plenty of levity in the apartments frequented by the quarantine gang, which can take on the air of a “young strangers thrown together” reality show.

“We are working round the clock to keep one another entertained, inspired, fed and virus-free.” https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-04-01/coronavirus-isolation-quarantine-buddies">https://www.latimes.com/californi...