CDC says it's time to end hygiene theater

[Debra300]

Finally, there is a globally respected organization that is speaking out against hygiene theater:  https://news.yahoo.com/end-the-hygiene-theater-cdc-says-173440864.html.  Hopefully, companies and governments will change their public health guidelines accordingly.

[Lisa723]

@Debra300 let's hope.

[Inna22]

@Debra300 I just saw this and wanted to post too! I hope Brian Chelsky as well as my school are reading this

[Helen427]

@Debra300  @Inna22 @Lisa723 note it's only "Guidelines", not the law.

[Inna22]

@Helen427 almost everything surrounding covid regulation is not a law, they are guidelines, ordinances, etc

[Helen427]

100% agree with you @Inna22 

It was the SAGE UK Template paper on 25 ways to ensure adherence to Social Distancing whereby reference is made to B*mbing in Israel several years ago and the children rightly so were encouraged to Stay Home from school as it was dangerous that has created this chaos.

ALAS Coronavirus is a Virus not a war so completely different 'Emergency" situation.

Professor Susan Michie has much to be answerable for the current situation we have found ourselves in as it is more appropriate to have included a comparable Science Paper on Viruses as a reference rather than a situation in a War Torn country.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Debra300 Lets hope @Catherine-Powell has read this article. If Airbnb do not respond appropriately they will lose any credibility they have left with respect to cleaning protocols.

[Michelle53]

@Debra300     The problem everyone has is reflected in the last paragraph :-

"The use of such disinfectants, the CDC says, is necessary only if a person known to be infected with the coronavirus has been inside the space in question within the previous 24 hours. But because it can be difficult for restaurants and other high-volume establishments to know whether a patron is infected — a difficulty compounded by the scarcity of rapid testing — it is likely that as unnecessary and expensive as such measures are, the hygiene theater will go on."    

Bold italics are mine. 

That has been the issue right from the start - not knowing who is infected, and insufficient testing. 

Establishments have a big problem trying to deal with patrons that refuse to wear masks and socially distance - measures which are known to work, but there's substantial denial about that.

One could drop the "hygeine theater" if people behaved responsibly. But, we know, people don't behave responsibly.     Way back when, there was a 3-day buffer required between guests. CDC guidelines indicate 24 hours is enough to allow any potential surface contamination to dissipate. 

My closest covid exposure was from a friend who decided to go out, even though she "had the sniffles", and shrugged it off as a mild cold.    I tested negative,  fortunately. 

I've been blocking a day before and a day after each booking. This works great for me. Plenty of time to turn the space over.  I also ask guests to let me know if they have any symptoms of any respiratory illness, so I can take extra care with cleaning after they check out.   Of course, they could be asymptomatic carriers.

I think folks doing back-to-back check-out-at-10-check-in-at-3  should still consider some kind of disinfection, in locations where there is still substantial viral transmission. 

[Debra300]

@Michelle53,

I had noted the part you highlighted, and agree with what you've said, but I think that it should be a point where distinction can be written into the guidelines and options provided.  Speaking specifically about hosting on Airbnb, here are some items that I think should be addressed:

1. In New Zealand and some Australian states there have been no reported cases of COVID-19 for quite some time, and these governments are unlikely to ease up on restrictions.  Based upon the CDC's revised guidelines (@Helen427, the CDC is a federally sponsored public health agency, and has no legislative powers to enact any laws), the enhanced cleaning protocols are unnecessary in those regions. as has been pointed out by hosts.
2. The first version of the ECP offered hosts choices to either accept the cleaning process, or a 72 hour buffer between bookings.  Since the guidelines indicate that 24 hours between guest stays would be sufficient to avoid the requirement of disinfecting surfaces, Airbnb can systematically assign 24 hour buffers on the calendars of the hosts who choose that option.  They've done similar applications for properties that regulate minimum stays.

[Michelle53]

@Debra300  I agree that most of the issues could be resolved by implementing a 24-hour buffer. Here in Chicago, we have to have a minimum of a two-night stay, to prevent parties.

 Airbnb can apply restrictions on a wide or limited basis, to comply with local laws.   We've seen how blocks on certain event dates (e.g. Halloween) are applied. 

Of course, a lot of hosts have done substantial complaining about that, and, I'm sure, there'd be a lot of complaining about an automatic 24-hour buffer, too.   

The question would become who to apply it to. Airbnb is currently in over 200 countries and regions (I haven't see the latest data).  I imagine it would be a giant programming effort to try and apply country- or region-specific blocks, and keep them constantly updated.    I imagine it is much easier to apply some global standards, and then implement certain region-specific blocks that don't require frequent modification.    

People already complain about "glitches" occurring almost every week. How many glitches would we have if we expected the software to somehow be constantly modified to take every country- or region-specific change into account, every time one occurs ?

[Debra300]

@Michelle53,

Sorry, if my comments were not clear in that I was trying to say Airbnb should offer hosts options as they did last year when the ECP was initially released.  In countries with little or no reported COVID cases, the hosts can opt-out entirely.  In other parts of the world, the 24 hour buffer would be applied to those hosts who select that option.  Hosts who want to continue same day turnovers will have no choice but to agree to the ECP steps based upon the CDC's statements regarding the 24 hour dissipation window.

There will never be a time when no one complains, nor problems with systematic changes.  However, if the ECP is truly based upon CDC and other public health guidelines, there should be more acknowledgement that one size doesn't fit all.

[Helen427]

@Debra300 @Lisa723 @Inna22 @Michelle53 @Mike-And-Jane0 @Fred13 

Some simply are unable to reach up and take their curtains down to clean, unless it's flooding..

Enjoy this little light hearted cartoon from the 1920's when there were floods and people needed to clean their homes in accordance with the Public Health and Emergency Acts from top to bottom due to flood damage.

Coronavirus is a virus not a flood or Ocean Wave , Sea Wave, Tidal Wave or as they are more commonly known as Tsunami's these days, is it?

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19290525.2.162.14

[Lisa723]

@Debra300 @Michelle53 @Catherine-Powell @Lauren2775 

more...

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/08/health/coronavirus-hygiene-cleaning-surfaces.html

[Fred13]

    The CDC is subject to the same forces of brilliance vs. stupidity, sincerity vs. playing politics  as everyone else; today the ex-director is talking a totally different tune than he did last year (a U.S. election year). The forces CDC unleashed last year are genies that now refuse to go back into the bottle, classic example being school local teacher's unions who still refuse to go back to in-school teaching (but still getting paid) even when the CDC is begging them to do so.

    While herd immunity is great, herd mentality can be the opposite. Airbnb couldn't help but jump into the forefront and add their own layer of 'concern' on top of the at-the-time Covid hysteria, but health events are now moving faster then they are adjusting. Their original health manifesto is starting not to make sense, though it meant well, of course. 

    What Airbnb should have done in the first place is: force all hosts to click on a button that is confirming they are indeed complying with the local laws that govern every host concerning Covid 19, and  be very informative where hosts could find such information.  Their approach oftentimes is too jumpy, like every one of these modern-day CEO's ruling these big corporations, they are always looking for a cause to jump into regardless of what their business truly is. 

   Speaking of 'life in the tropics', I got my own problems - I am trying to re-retire but my place is getting booked once again way ahead by Airbnb guests. This company is 'ruining' my life. LoL

[Carol280]

True! Airbnb safety practices and cleaning protocols far exceed (and conflict with) local laws here, yet Airbnb has delighted in instigated (inventing?) its own rules rather than trusting people to follow the government requirements and hospitality industry standards that apply in their own country.