Mask obligations

[Cave0]

So we've been coerced into accepting Airbnb's mask & social distancing rules or risk being delisted, and in accepting these rules we have to wear masks and maintain a 2m distance when there is any interaction with guests.

I'm wonder how many guests actually follow these rules and how Airbnb is enforcing them to ensure the protection of hosts.

I ask because out of the 7 reservations I've had since reluctantly agreeing to these rules, not one of the guests has been of a mind to follow them.   Short of calling Airbnb and refusing to allow check-in there's little a host can do and that certainly wouldn't do much for good guest relations.  As it is, merely asking the guests to abide by Airbnb's requirement brings, at best, a frosty response, at worse, a negative reaction.

Being a bit of a cynic, I do think it offers guests yet another opportunity for guests to claim a refund if the host strays from the policy but other than that it does absolutely nothing other than give Airbnb something to crow about whilst making life somewhat uncomfortable for those hosts who attempt to do the right thing.

Some guests have even complained that they aren't getting their bags carried!  Not that I offer porterage, accommodation is what I am providing, nevertheless, I can't be responsible for ensuring guest luggage has been correctly sanitised before or after I touch it so in the spirit of following the rules, which I assume guests agreed to in order to make the reservation, they have to carry it themselves at the moment.

[Anonymous]

@Cave0   I also wonder how much mask-wearing is going on in homestays with shared living rooms and kitchens.  I have not signed onto the Protocol, and will not do so as long as it contains this language:

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.

A contract that offers guests a free stay if they claim that I failed to slip on a mask when they walked into my kitchen feels like a trap to me. I don't know if Airbnb is actually denying payouts like the policy says they will, but they do know now which active hosts they can strong-arm into a bad agreement.

Also, I wonder why the recent "100+ Upgrades Across [Airbnb's] Entire Service" didn't  include any updates to the Covid policy, which doesn't appear to have been revisited at all this year and doesn't account for the many things that have changed since last autumn. It still misleadingly emphasizes the role of hygiene theater in prevention, while adding no nuance to account for how the situation has evolved in locations with high vaccination rates and testing standards. 

[Cave0]

@Anonymous 

I spent a lot of time questioning Airbnb asking for confirmation of how this policy would be policed and how Airbnb would make a judgement based upon a claim made by a guest.  Like you, I was interested in avoiding a situation where a guest could potentially receive a free holiday simply by reporting me to Airbnb for failing to comply.

The Airbnb customer service staff were, as I expected, very reluctant to get drawn into a conversation where I was asking very specific questions about the policy, the policing of it.  It took several attempts before there was any clarification about how Airbnb would implement the policy in the event of a guest or a host reporting the other and at best it seems that Airbnb was suggesting that an attempt would be made to educate an errant guest or host in the first instance.  Not very satisfactory given how Airbnb has a reputation for appeasing guests first and foremost in dispute resolution.

At the moment I make sure that any contact with guests takes place only in an area covered by cctv and that housekeeping activities are suspended in view of the 2m rule.  It doesn't make for the best guest experience and it's not very rewarding as a host when one likes to do more but, as they say, rules is rules.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

About 10% of our guests turn up masked. As we are fully vaccinated we are not overly bothered!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

That is interesting! We are personally fully vaccinated as well; however, our greater community is in the midst of a surge at the moment. We concern for the community being exposed to whatever our guests might be unknowingly carrying,  as well as our guests picking up something as they patronize local businesses.  Masking and caution is still the best option, for us here, imho.

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Kitty-and-Creek0 So if a guest turned up unmasked would you deny them entry and report them to Airbnb?

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

Good question: Masked/unmasked is a local public health policy issue. 

[Kevin1322]

Same here. 🤷‍♂️

They certainly don't much use the hand sanitizers,  which we have not had to refill since last summer either 🙄

Nor has anyone made use of the additional cleaning facilities supplied 🤔

Of 50 disposable masks we bought 12 months ago for guests use, 48 remain.  I am guessing the two that were taken when someone availed themselves of the opportunity just took them because they were free, along with the nautical tat ornament in the room which vanished at the same time 🤣

It's a game, isn't it.

[Helen427]

@Cave0 @Kitty-and-Creek0 @Mike-And-Jane0 

I personally can't recall when I last saw anyone over here in New Zealand wearing a mask, with the exception of reception staff at the Hospital on a recent visit.

Incidentally one of the Doctors who was in charge of our Covid Response Team was present and they definitely were not wearing a mask.

No sign of them on people when out and about in New Zealand, bar those littering the streets.

Long time now banished thank The Lord for that.

Gorgeous Property @Cave0 in awesome part of the world.

We were having a browse through listings in Rhodos during the week having a reminisce of happy holidays there in the great fresh air, sunshine and in the Medieval Town of the Knights of St John. 

ABB need to update there Advice that they relied on provided by  Dr  VIVEK Murhy (?) in USA.

They have been proven to not be effective to stop the spread of various infections, banned in schools and in Denmark.

@Brian @Catherine-Powell @Stephanie @Airbnb @Nick @Francesca @Sergi @Noriko @Anna and other Admins please take on board and address this for us all, Thanks in advance

[Cave0]

@Helen427 

Thank you Helen. 

We've really missed the folk from New Zealand, Australia and the US the last 2 years and can't wait for to be able to welcome you all again.

[Stephanie]

Hiya @Cave0 ,

I just read your thread and thought it prudent to share last weeks update on the enhanced cleaning protocol:

• COVID-19 safety requirements: With Hosts in more than 220 countries and regions around the world, we understand each of your communities are at different stages of their COVID-19 containment efforts. We're making two changes to better reflect this changing landscape:
  • First, for mask wearing and social distancing when interacting in person, we’re moving away from blanket global requirements and instead now asking Hosts and guests to follow local laws and guidelines.
  • Second, to better align with the latest COVID-19 science on transmission and to make the cleaning guidelines easier for Hosts to follow, we updated our enhanced cleaning process. For example, Hosts will no longer be required to wear masks and gloves while cleaning (but it's still recommended), or to wash every dish in the cupboard if it has not been used by guests. (Here’s a deeper look at our updated cleaning handbook). If you’ve agreed to our enhanced cleaning process already, you don’t need to go through that process again. If you’re a new Host (welcome!), you’ll be prompted to review and agree to follow these practices.

I appreciate that this thread has gone quiet as it's been some time since you raised this concern so I can only apologise for the wait.

I hope this helps moving forward but please do feel free to ask should you have any other questions!

Thanks,

Stephanie

[Colleen253]

@Stephanie “Hosts will no longer be required to wear masks and gloves while cleaning”.

When will this item be removed from the ECP banner on our listings? Mine still shows it.

Speaking of banners, still waiting for an explanation on why Airbnb suddenly reversed course and removed the house rules banner from listings after the recent updates. I asked about it in this thread,

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Hosting/This-is-an-improvement/td-p/1362904

Thanks

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Stephanie My mother was a surgical nurse, so I grew up cleaning our house with these high standards and procedures. As a  guest, I expect a thoroughly clean place, with or without a virus. As a host, the least I can do for my guests is to routinely deep clean and sanitize between every guest. I do this, have always done so and will continue. My guests should be able to feel safe in my home, and relax in that knowledge. I commend this policy and hope it is kept as part of normal business operations and expectations.

[Deborah56]

Thanks for sharing this.

So they should open my calendar since I live in California where the mask mandate was lifted three weeks ago.

Debbie