Hosting travelers from China during pandemic

[Leila145]

I have an Airbnb and was wondering if air travel is allowed now into the US and no longer banned to the US from China and if so, is it considered safe to host visitors traveling from China in regard to Covid 19. If so, what extra safety precautions are Airbnb hosts doing to protect themselves, i.e. like requesting recent Covid 19 tests  from guests72 hours before traveling. It is October 18, 2020 when i am writing this. 

[Debra300]

@Leila145,

The Department of State's website is usually the best source for that information that you're inquiring about.  You can also do a Google search regarding travel restrictions to and from the US.

[Leila145]

Thanks, @Debra300, I think you are right. Googling to many other sites gets confusing and possibly not accurate.  👍

[Inna22]

@Leila145  if you have a shared space you should make a general decision if you are ready host guests at this time. Anyone can have Covid or can even contract it while staying with you. Making them take a test only assures you that they are not actively sick at the time of the test. If your airbnb is separate from your home, and you clean it yourself, as long as you use all recommended precautions while cleaning, you should be fine just like anyone else who goes to work. You can block days between stays so you are not going in immediately after guest's departure (if that is your concern). If you do not have a shared space and do not clean it yourself, not hosting someone based on country of origin would be discrimination and xenophobia IMO. 

[Leila145]

All good suggestions and thanks, Inna.  I’ve thought of that point too about going to work.     Many of my winter guests come from China in winter especially, , but I have had no guests book any travel from that area since last year when the travel ban went into effect., so I figured there was still restricted travel, and was wondering what the status of that travel was now. .  .  I would never want to not host travelers based on any country of origin.  My foreign travelers are one of the things that makes my Airbnb rental fun, and I really love all my visitors from any  foreign country. @Inna22

[Sarah977]

Do you accept guests from the continental US? If so, considering that the US has the highest infection and death rate of any country in the world, I'm not sure why you'd be more concerned about guests from elsewhere. Just because the virus first showed up in China doesn't mean Chinese guests are any riskier than guests from anywhere else. 

@Leila145

[Leila145]

Good point @Sarah977 about infection rates US vs. China.  I’ve been wondering why I have received no bookings from my  travelers from China since last winter when the travel bans were instituted, so I figured there was still some travel restrictions, but couldn’t find definitive current info.     And I bet you’re right, the virus is probably so widespread now that no place has more concern than anywhere else, so we just take the recommended Covid 19 precautions with all guests and that’s all we can do. 

[Michelle53]

CDC still lists China as prohibited travel, with 14 day quarantine required. Last updated September 14th. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/from-other-countries.html

@Leila145