Should I be policing the headcount?

[Inna22]

We have shelter in place and gatherings of more than 10 ppl are banned in Illinois. Normally some of my places allow for more guests. I have gotten a few requests from bigger groups. Should it be my job to police them? I actually do think it is very irresponsible of these people but at the same time they will just book with someone else and I am in dire need of reservations. So far I have just reminded them of the rule and they ended up not booking for one reason or another. If they do, what do you think is my responsibility? 

[Lisa723]

@Inna22 my opinion: yes, it's our responsibility not to enable unethical behavior in our properties.

[Sarah977]

@Inna22  I agree with Lisa's statement. But I also don't understand the 10 person rule at all. No groups should be gathering in a communal living type situation at all now, unless they are family who all live together anyway. Not 2, not 4, not 8. Not unless they've all been tested and cleared just before arrival , which isn't going to happen.

My daughter in Toronto just read my 15 year old granddaughter the riot act a few days ago- that if she snuck out of the house one more time, she wouldn't be allowed back in at all until the lockdowns were over, even if that took months, because she was endangering the lives of her parents and sister. And my daughter was quite serious- she doesn't make empty threats with her kids, never has.

The US just overtook China in the number of cases. If your govt. isn't acting responsibly, it's going to be up to individuals.

[Inna22]

 @Sarah977  they closed the lakefront and all the trails today. I was playing tennis with the kids in a park and we were asked by police to go home. Not sure why the 10 person rule is still in place. Perhaps so there is a concrete guideline if there is a gathering? So people can’t claim they are all cousins and otherwise relatives, all 30 of them?

[Suzanne302]

@Inna22  I agree with the others. This  is a special situation. We're in the middle of a pandemic so the responsible and ethical thing to do is to report them and don't feel bad about it.

[Dale668]

Inna22 - I feel you are doing what you need to do, remind them of the gathering rules; but it is not your duty to police the group.  Leave the policing up to authority, but continue to express the rules so it is clear that the guests know the expectations.  

[Michelle53]

@Inna22  All gatherings outside are now prohibited by law. While that doesn't prohibit gatherings inside, I think it would be irresponsible to host groups of any size from multiple households. 

[Anonymous]

@Inna22   Just as a fun little experiment. bookmark this page and set yourself a calendar update for 2 weeks from now. 

I was born in the US, I have some experience with the wide-eyed optimism that we're ridiculed for around the world, and I'm also watching the numbers. What do you think your concerns are going to be on 10 April?

[Sandra126]

@Anonymous , you are on a max crowd of two now, right? It reduced quickly!

[Fred13]

Actually @Inna22 my first thought had nothing to do with this temporary anti-virus policy (limit of 10), but about the hope that you do police any and all groups you do allow in your place. You offer a place that allows 16 people in a 3-bedroom domicile and they get to pay $149 total a night (or $9.13 per person), if they all show up.  I would think you have always have had reason to police your headcount and home (which is nice) considering large crowds paying so little per person stand to reason are proned to get out of control in behavior much too quickly, virus or no virus. Perhaps I did faultered in my math.

[Inna22]

@Fred13 I normally charge $899 per night. Right now my hope is to attract a family for two weeks thus the price

[Fred13]

Ah. that makes sense.

Speaking of longer stays, today I spoke with many local Airbnb hosters today and 4/5 have switched to long-term overnight and getting good results. Perhaps that is a segment somewhat 'neglected', and yes here in Belize hosts making such a move do not face the endless complexities of long-term rentals as they would in the U.S.

[Katrina79]

@Inna22 I would change the number of guests allowed to 10 ASAP. Yes it is your job to police this as nobody else will know. Consciously I wouldn’t contribute in any way to the spread of Covid-19 in your community. Whether it’s by turning a blind eye or by breaking the law yourself, both are wrong. If the weight on your conscience isn’t enough to prevent you from allowing a large number of guests, perhaps liability is. I would worry about the liability you have in this scenario. Please take care, stay strong and healthy. I hope we all get through this xx