Calling Airbnb to revise host obligation to Covid-19 safety measures on basis of it being discriminatory and excluding to hosts and guests of shared houses

[Yariv3]

Dear Community members,

Hope this finds you smiling.

I felt it is important to address the latest Airbnb strict obligation to follow the Airbnb Covid19 policy by Nov 20th, or risk expulsion,

particularly with regards to shared houses.

That is because the policy is not realistically applicable to shared houses, therefor discriminates its hosts and guests. 

Airbnb places hosts of shared houses between a rock and a hard place;

Either agree to the policy (that cannot be realistically applied) and compromise their integrity,

or,

Not agree and risk loosing their livelihoods.

I don't think this is how "a community based on trust" should go about things.

Firstly, because it excludes many members of the community, hosts and also guests who can only afford (and prefer the experience of) shared houses.

Secondly, because this policy is extremely one sided in the way it is enforced. It inevitably makes hosts and guests feel that their needs and contributions are being ignored by Airbnb.

Did anyone at Airbnb consider that the policy in question discriminates the least privileged of travelers? That after a terribly hard year it might destroy what little is left of hosts with shared houses? That effectively some hosts would have to be dishonest to keep having food on the table? Is this in line with Airbnb values?

As this is a community based on trust, Airbnb should trust hosts and guests to know and act responsibly. As a host of a shared house in an area with many others like me I can testify that we adhere to local Covid19 regulations, we minimize guest occupancy according to local directives, we insist on tests taken by guests with possible symptoms, we block the calendar when there is a risk or prepare to quarantine the house when necessary, we enhance cleaning efforts and prefer long-term guests, we respect the curfew directed by local authorities and prohibit visitation of non-guests, along with many other important measures.

Guests and hosts are responsible community members and should be trusted by Airbnb, rather then being treated so forcibly with the harshest of measures (exclusion and loss of income).

It is important to acknowledge that other measures, more inclusive, are available to Airbnb regarding the Covid19.

For example, hosts who can and wish to apply the Airbnb Covid policies can gain a badge,

making it possible for guests to choose according to their judgment.

A more severe measure would be to have a Covid19 warning badge "shared house".

Both these measures, one lite, the other harsh, maintain us as a trusted and trustworthy community and more importantly do not make the community feel untrusted and policed with parts of the community ignored and excluded.

I understand the Covid19 time has been difficult on Airbnb, all community members have experienced Airbnb's hardships when interacting with Airbnb lately.

I wish Airbnb management will see that maintaining the inclusive core values of the community is the way to get through these times.

The exclusion and antagonization of hosts and guests, I am sure, is not in the best interest of Airbnb, as they will leave, or even take legal action, as a group/individuals within the community will suffer loss of income as a result of the new policy.

I suggest Airbnb trust its community members, trust that they are responsible and law biding, treat them with the care expected of and by a community of wonderful people who love hosting and travel and making others happy. This was the spirit that made Airbnb grow and losing this spirit might do the opposite. No one has anything to gain from the demise of Airbnb (except for its competitors). I personally wish to see a happy healthy community moving forward.

In light of the above I call on Airbnb to revise said obligation.

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Yariv 

@Brian

@Stephan-And-Skye0

@Laura3135

@Helen427

@Mike-And-Jane0

[Francesco1366]

@Yariv3,

There are many discussions about it, check in the appropriate section.

I would like to underline that it is not Airbnb that discriminates against some members but the Covid. Today it is safer to travel by private plane and rent mega villas, certainly don't book shared rooms.

It seems to me that you are referring, at least in part, to the obligation to wear a mask. Please note that you can avoid using it if the guest agrees. The obligation is a protection for everyone: if one feels safer to use it, it is fair that he does not suffer the selfish decision of the other not to use it.

Don't you see how much Covid has upset our lives, even psychologically? Don't you see how important a simple mask is to some? These feelings must be respected. Respecting them means being a wonderful community. It seems we are not because there are endless discussions of those who do not want to wear the mask.

You can think about special rules to decrease meetings with guests at home and guarantee to both time to be alone without interactions.

[Sarah977]

  What do you consider to be reasonably applicable to shared-home listings? Not wearing masks indoors, when indoor transmission is the primary means of virus transmission? 

Responsible home share hosts have either stopped renting until the virus is no longer a threat, or understand why masks and distancing need to be maintained.

It's attitudes like yours that contribute to the ongoing spread of COVID.

@Yariv3

@Francesco1366

[Helen350]

I don't think masks is the issue; @Yariv3 didn't mention that. 

- I think the biggest problem is as Yaviv said, home share hosts have the choice of LYING that they will comply & signing up, or retaining integrity by not lying = not signing up. The problem as I see it is the requirement not to re-enter a space once it's been cleaned. This is easily possible with bedrooms, but not with shared bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms & stairs. Homeshare hosts COULD cease to allow use of the host's own kitchen and any non-private living areas,  but in homes with only one bathroom/WC, then the host obviously needs access too. 

[Sarah977]

Well, you know my position on that- if spaces need to be shared with guests, except for areas like New Zealand where they have no community transmission and closed borders, those hosts shouldn't be hosting at all.

@Helen350

[Helen350]

My central heating is controlled from my bathroom @Sarah977 . I have to go in to turn the heating up & down! And when I had TWO guests - how does the cleaning protocol cover THAT - I go in to make sure guest 1 has not messed it up for guest 2! I also have to check for escapes of water... gaps in wooden floorboards; need to mop up spillages before they get through the floorboards & drip through the ceiling.. (Only 2 guests have ever done that, including recent American who was surprised to be told that UK bathroom floors are not usually wetrooms!)

[Sarah977]

You are missing my entire point. It isn't a question of what you need to do in your bathroom- no one should be hosting a home share with common spaces , period, as far as I'm concerned, unless those spaces are outdoors.

That is, if you care about doing your part to prevent the spread of this virus. @Helen350

[Helen350]

I need the income @Sarah977 !

And our government says, even if you had an encounter with an infected person, you only need to self-isolate if you were closer than 2 metres for 15 mins or more. So nipping into the bathroom is harmless according to that yardstick!

I don't mix with anyone outside of paying guests, apart from frequent 2-5 hour walks with LTR bod next door! The isolation would kill me without the guests!

[Sarah977]

The UK has had 33,470 new infections and 563 COVID deaths in the past 24 hours. You have the 7th highest number of infections in total of all the countries in the world. That's what I'd be paying attention to, not what your "government says". 

And there's a vast difference between "an encounter with an infected person" and breathing the same air in an enclosed house all day. After 10 months and ongoing scientific and medical reports on how this virus is primarily transmitted , you still don't understand this. Or you choose to ignore it because you need the money. 

@Helen350

[Helen350]

@Sarah977  - Earning money is the responsible thing to do! Airbnb hosts are not eligible for government support/furlough! And most Brits are still allowed to go to work!

- But most UK infections are asymptomatic; people are not ill.  Yes you can pass it on, but stay away from granny, & you can't infect her! Many of the supposed deaths from Covid were actually deaths from other causes, they just happened to be Covid positive. In August 2020 Covid was the 24th most common cause of death in the UK, accounting for 1.4% of all deaths.

I'm not cavalier about it all, the illness does exist, and I have avoided ALL places where people gather since March. And not been round to friends. No pubs & restaurants  for me! I've upped my exercise levels considerably, & lost 25lbs in weight to lessen my chances of succumbing & taking up a hospital bed. Life goes on!

I actually agree with the lockdown re stopping huge crowds of people mixing... But I'm talking ONE single or couple in my house, most of whom never venture outside their room, apart from a quick nip into the loo. No comparison with a crowded pub!

[Sarah977]

For sure there are levels of risk. The odds are that you and your guests won't give each other COVID. The odds are a lot greater that you catch it by going to a pub. That doesn't mean that home-sharing isn't risky.

But please don't repeat utterly false conspiracy theories. "Many of the supposed deaths from Covid were actually deaths from other causes, they just happened to be Covid positive."

That is absolutely bogus. People who are health compromised because they may be diabetic, or have some heart issues are more at risk of getting really sick or dying from COVID, but that doesn't mean they would have died of diabetes or a heart attack if they didn't get infected with COVID. They might have lived another 30 or 40 years with their underlying condition managed by diet, exercise and medication, lived to see their child graduate from university, lived to play with their grandchildren, lived to take that trip they'd always wanted to go on after they retired. Yes, they died because they contracted COVID.

To deny that they died of COVID, or belittle it because people also died of other completely unrelated things is incredibly disrespectful.

The worldwide "excess death rate" since COVID, which is a comparison of how many people die from all other causes and how many have died since COVID makes it extremely clear to all but those who have blinders on, how dangerous this virus is.  And that's just referring to deaths- there are long-term, possibly lifetime health effects that those who have had COVID and recovered are now having to live with.

@Helen350 

[Francesco1366]

Thanks for the comment @Helen350. We await @Yariv3 if he wants to clarify. 

However, It's normal that these obligations are more difficult for those offering a shared home. I think they refer to the private areas of the guest and the equipment you want to share, kitchen and bathroom for example. Do we have to clean the condominium stairs and expect no one reuse them? Obviously not. The same for my private spaces and the paths that allow me to access them.

Not using a bathroom, a kitchen or a living room for a few hours seems like an acceptable sacrifice to me: we can also disinfect and finish cleaning few minutes before arrival. Everything will be useless if the next day we spit on the ground, walk barefoot and pee in the sink. After the initial cleaning Airbnb trusts us, first there are those rules that we all have to respect.

It seems to me that there would be discrimination if those who today host a completely unknown person in their home did not completely change their habits and rules. For health reasons.

[Anonymous]

@Sarah977  I completely agree with you. Yes, it's ridiculous for home-share hosts to be operating right now and for guests to be choosing them under the circumstances. But Airbnb doesn't want hosts to pull their listings out of the active inventory; it would rather # profit from the delusion that it has the magical power to make shared-household arrangements "safe" from virus spread purely by telling people how to clean house. 

The Cleaning Mandate does not contain any language saying that it expires when the pandemic ends, whatever that entails. So those who have committed to it now have effectively signed an irreversible pact to have a large portion of their operations controlled by their listing service indefinitely, regardless of whether all aspects of it remain necessary from a public health perspective. Every single follow-up question I've asked about this has met radio silence.

[Sarah977]

Yes, you'd think they would just issue a statement saying that the COVID cleaning protocols would be lifted when COVID is no longer a significant threat. Which of course seems like the logical response.

Doing simple things like that seems to be beyond them. Instead they scamper around in some extreme state of disarray, plugging their IPO, announcing a pointless "host advisory board", and doing "regular maintenance" that results in hosts' accounts being deleted and countless reservations being cancelled in error.

They easily earn the "most incompetent company" award of the year.

@Anonymous

[Francesco1366]

@Anonymous and @Sarah977,

you are right. But the laws matter. If these allow you to rent a shared home, it is completely fair that the hosts are looking here for guests. All activities now involve risks, also a pharmacy, and keep open is a choiche we have to respect a lot.

I absolutely agree that the health rules, even those of Airbnb that I think are right, must be respected.