Airbnb doesn't care if your guest isnt covid careful

[Nicole274]

Hosts - As a New Yorker I have been super careful during the pandemic and only this month have opened up my spare room to hosting guests again. I am only hosting local guests from the area, generally people that are in between apartments.

Turns out my guest has recently returned from Texas, didn't quarantine and is entertaining guests this weekend from Texas. I am worried about covid-19 exposure (my guest even admitted no one he was around in Texas wore masks) and Airbnb told me I would be penalized if I canceled. Apparently they don't care about your potential exposure to covid-19. Truly disappointed. 

[Ann72]

@Nicole274  That’s awful.  You can set guidelines for your guests to follow in shared spaces.  And you can prevent the guest from having visitors.  

[Nicole274]

Thank you! While he won’t be allowed to have any visitors during his stay I just learned that he had recently come back from Texas himself and he will be hosting his friends and sightseeing with them all weekend. He did tell me that when he was back home in Texas nobody in his town was wearing masks and that’s what makes me feel unsafe

[Helen3]

In the UK we aren't allowed to host in a shared home situation currently because it's considered too high risk @Nicole274 

Perhaps remove IB and vet your guests but you can never guarantee their behaviour before they get to you.

You can cancel penalty free three times if you are using IB so as your uncomfortable why not cancel.

[Christine615]

I have a friend that was careful and caught Covid-19 anyway because of all the people in his town that refuse to wear masks. Both he and his wife came down with it - live on a remote farm and the best we can tell is it happened when they went briefly into town to get groceries. I'm livid. That poor man has been hospitalized for months and is now in physical therapy.

I put on my listing that I am ONLY hosting people who practice Covid-19 safety but with laws the way they are there's no way to force compliance without requesting a copy of a vaccine card. And I know Airbnb is going to frown on that.

I'm wondering if Airbnb is waiting for someone to die before it puts more practical rules in place which includes reminding guests that they are welcome ONLY IF they are complying with host rules. We recently had guests in town for a wedding, revealed that it wasn't one family staying but people from three households. Then the day before check-in tried to add another person which was over my max amount. Claimed that person was from one of the existing three households. I still said "no."

This is why we can't get ahead of pandemic. Too many people think it won't "happen" to them, but then go out and infect someone as asymptomatic spreaders. Our family is vaccinated fully but I still keep Covid Buffers between guest bookings because it only takes one irresponsible person to take out a village. 😞

[Mika8]

Airbnb help center says:

If you're a guest, you will not be eligible for a refund if your host cancels your reservation because you did not comply with these practices. Similarly, if you're a host, you will not be eligible for a payout if a guest cancels their stay because you did not comply with these practices.

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/help/article/2839/what-are-the-health-and-safety-requirements-for-airbnb-st...

But yeah .. as usual, I guess it would be easier for guests to get a payout...

[Anonymous]

@Mika8  This rule allows hosts to enforce mask-wearing and social-distancing rules inside their property, but it doesn't apply to guests' behaviors outside of the home or their whereabouts before the stay.

[Mika8]

@Anonymous  .. of course .. but @Nicole274 also wrote:

While he won’t be allowed to have any visitors during his stay I just learned that he had recently come back from Texas himself and he will be hosting his friends and sightseeing with them all weekend.

Not to allow entertaining visitors was a general rule long before Covid-19 .. but now, it also helps to minimize the risk, especially in a shared home. For me this guest did not comply with general safety rules.

[Anonymous]

@Mika8  I think it's established that the guest wasn't planning to bring his group of visitors into the host's home.  The OP's concern was that he wouldn't be taking precautions with them while hanging out elsewhere, but of course that is well outside of a host's jurisdiction. 

[Mika8]

@Anonymous .. ok, then I misunderstood that phrase .. my English is not the best, I'm sorry

[Angelica-Y-Jorge0]

@Nicole274 If you still choose to host this guest or any guest I would ensure to leave windows open, invest in a HEPA air purifier for the shared space and take vitamin D. No matter how careful someone is they can become infected. Reduce the risk as much as you can.

[Nicole274]

Thanks for the replies. I had no choice but to host and his trip ended on 3/30.

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Anonymous  @Mika8 @Nicole274 

Thanks for the update, @Nicole274 . This is such a complex situation, and one primary reason our local health department persists in forbidding us to host non-essential-worker guests. At potential risk from unsafe behaviors are not only the host family members but the entire community. Our local economy is heavily tourist-dependent but remaining only partially open for the time being is the choice made by the health authorities, of community life and health over monetary gain. Mental health is tied up in this too; our shopkeepers, restaurants, health care workers, maintenance people, literally everyone being stressed over the fear of becoming infected by chance, and potentially infecting our community members, who we trust to also keep us safe.  Over time this will sort itself out, we know that. Visitors with a vaccine pass would be so welcome, however this situation is far from resolved in this society of individuals' privacy rights having legal preference over the rest of society. This is a complex legal issue. In my lifetime we have dealt with Polio, Tuberculosis, Smallpox, HIV, SARS, MERS, Lyme, Measles, Mumps, Chicken Pox, Ebola, and many more. I am personally grateful for vaccines for Yellow Fever, Hepatitis, Tetanus, Smallpox, Whooping Cough, Diphtheria, which plagued my parents and theirs. There are many others that are not "in our face" if we don't travel.  Meanwhile, we do what we must do, learn what we can, support each other, and minimize risk. I wish health, longevity, and joy to all of us here. We'll get to the other side of this, together!