Time of cancellation versus the 25% refund

[Jadwiga4]

Hi Guys! I have a planned reservation with check-in for May 1st (booked before March 13th). I have a strict reservation policy. The guests emailed me that he is going to cancel it because of covid-19, but we both want him to cancel in a moment that will be best for me and for him. My understanding of Airbnb´s extenuating policy  is that if the guest cancels now, I will get 25% of the half of the total payment and if he cancels less than 7 days before arrival I will get 25% of the total. So for me it would be best if he cancelled just a few days before arrival and I thought that guest receives 100% back no matter when he cancels.
However the guest says that he received an email from Airbnb telling him that he must cancel no later than 7 days before arrival.
Do you have any experiences with this? Reservations with strict cancellation policy cancelled more than 7 days before check in? Do I understand the policy correctly?