God I feel awful even asking this but .... are guests from China okay now?

Mark1340
Level 4
London, United Kingdom

God I feel awful even asking this but .... are guests from China okay now?

Just had a request in, seems like a lovely guy.  I host in a very small fishing village in Cornwall and can't be the one who brings COVID into the region.

 

I read that there is more COVID here in the UK than China now but somehow that doesn't seem right.  I want to be safe AND not a horrible racist!

 

Advice please. 😳

7 Replies 7
Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Mark1340 I would use the link below to determine if quarantine is needed. If it is then probs best to ask the guest where they will quarantine.

Be careful though - the guest may have lived in the UK for years and just have.a Chinese account.

www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors#countries-and-territories-with-no-self-iso...

@Mark1340   The pandemic has been global for months now. China currently accounts for less than 1% of the documented cases globally. The infection rate within the UK is several times higher. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

But now that businesses like yours are out of lockdown, you're responsible to keep yourself educated and up-to-date on safety concerns. No matter where in the world the guests are coming from, there's a  chance that they could be infectious carriers of the virus; odds are much higher if they're coming from the UK/Europe than from China. If you have any concerns for the safety of your household and village, you have to start with the presumption that guests are bringing the virus with them and determine whether your setup makes it possible to host a positive guest safely. If you don't think you can, you probably shouldn't re-open just yet. Excluding people based on their nationality is not a solution at this point.

 

 

 

Mikki0
Level 10
Long Beach, CA

The US is the new hot spot now, followed closely by Brazil. The UK comes after India, Russia, Peru & Chile.

 

I'm sorry to say, but this and future pandemics/epidemics/flu are going to be a way of life now. If you want to run an Airbnb, or any public facing business,  then do what you can to keep safe. Put hand sanitizer bottles conspicuously around the listing, wear a mask when you greet guests, and enter to clean, wipe everything down. 

Kath9
Level 10
Albany, Australia

@Mark1340, the others are right. A guest from China is no more risky than a guest from anywhere else (except perhaps from Western Australia! Go West Aussies!). Australia is not yet allowing international travellers, only Australians returning from overseas, who are by far the major sources of new cases here. And even they have to go into compulsory quarantine for two weeks. So, if you are accepting overseas travellers, you need to work on the assumption that they have a reasonable likelihood of bringing in the virus, regardless of where they are from. Personally, given the choice, I wouldn't be accepting overseas travellers at all.

@Mark1340 

Agree with what others say...... and IMO regardless of nationality, you should be asking ALL guests and especially all international guests about prior travel history and quarantine plans, if any - if it is even needed. 

 

FYI, I have a sister in the U.S. who has a Korean passport, and her account shows her as *from South Korea*, but it's been almost 2 years since she last came for a 1-month visit. I think the last time she even left the state she lives in was for a 5-day trip to D.C last fall for some sort of seminar. 

 

I only host international guests in my shared home private room listing....... which is why I am taking a break from hosting right now. International travelers of any kind are high risk. 

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

@Mark1340  The nationality of a guest isn't the issue- it's where they are coming from, what their plans are when at your listing, and whether they take serious precautions. Just because a guest is Chinese, and has China listed on his profile as his location doesn't mean he hasn't been living in the UK for the last 2 years. 

 

I have a home share listing and haven't hosted since early March. Don't anticipate being able to host for the foreseeable future until the virus is no longer a threat. Simply not worth the risk. There's other ways to make money without risking your health and your life.

You have an entire cottage listing, I see, so if a guest intended to self-isolate and was as concerned about not spreading or contracting the virus as you are, it's probably not a danger, but we have no guarantee that a guest will behave responsibly even if they say they will.

Melodie-And-John0
Level 10
Munnsville, NY

@Mark1340 , As others have said, race and even country of last domicile by itself means nothing at this point, the numbers are all over the place all over the world and even the places with low infection rates may not be telling the whole story.  Your best protections for yourself and your village include determining if you can mitigate the risk of infection transmission risk of hosting guests in your space and some local pandemic inspired laws investigations would be a great place to begin war-gaming the situation.   My advice is ask lots of questions before you decide and make sure your 100% happy with the answers, stay well, JR.