Am I the only one who doesn't want to host during Coronavirus pandemic ???

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

I am very surprised to see so many angry hosts who worry about the money more than about their health and life. Do you really want to host during a pandemic? You would risk your health for a few bucks? Are you so desperate? Money means nothing if you will die or live with damaged lungs for the rest of your life. Think about it.

I really don't want to risk mine and my daughter's life and clean after potentially sick guests. I don't want us to be infected because we touched their towels and sheets and inhaled the air in the room where infected guests spent a few days. We can't protect ourselves by wearing just a pair of rubber gloves, without even a proper mask not to mention the whole protective suit. Do you?

And, no matter how much we try, we just can't sanitise and disinfect the entire apartment from top to bottom. It is not a hospital room with just a metal bed and a metal nightstand on the vinyl floor. We have carpets, upholstered furniture, curtains,  full kitchen with cutlery and plates for 12 people.... We can't wash every single item in 70% alcohol after each guest and this virus will stay on surfaces for days .

We closed our calendar for all future bookings a few weeks ago. We offered our guests a mutual cancelation and most of them already canceled. Others contacted Airbnb and we are still waiting for their answer for days. I am happy for each cancelation and I hope the rest of my bookings will be canceled as well. Maybe we will rent long term. Maybe we will keep our property empty until everything is over. We don't know yet but we plan to survive 🙂

I am happy Airbnb allows penalty-free cancelations and my opinion is - it should be free for all bookings until September so hosts can rent their places long term if they want to until this pandemic is over.

We all need money but for us, our health is the most valuable thing we have.

Be reasonable, this is not the flu, THIS IS VERY CONTAGIOUS and it can easily kill you so take care.

[Denice0]

Well that last post went through.  I recommend going to The Times (NY) - they are providing free access on the global coronavirus crisis.

[Janeta1]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 Thank you

Branka and Silvia, finally an intelligent post. Scary how selfish and narrow-minded some of the hosts are. I am hoping that Airbnb will extend the full refunds past April 14th if need be.

[Juan63]

You can make a blanket statement but it doesn't make it true nor does "narrow-mindness" apply. Your fear is not other's fear nor are your principles theirs. And your principles are not necessarily right.

[John1574]

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Coronavirus: Risk and Reality + Misinformation.

https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Help/Coronavirus-Risk-amp-Reality-Misinformation/td-p/1262599

/

[Juan63]

I get the concern of everyone and I am less concerned than most as I am thinking long term. We can host safely and continue the economy going. The fear of the disease is worse than the disease itself. Of course there are a few cases, elderly, pregnant women, etc. that need to be more cautious but we are all going to be in a world of hurt and people will start losing their jobs and homes.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Juan63 

I've heard Texas made just 26 tests.

And all 26 were positive.

Is that true?

If so, I wouldn't care about the economy at the moment...

[Mark116]

@Branka-and-Silvia0  I think the opposite, the harm to the economy will be much more difficult to deal with than the sick people.  Assuming the general projections are on target in terms of percentages of people who will get sick enough to need hospitalization, then the only issue there is sick people and an overwhelmed health care system, that is bad, but it will end when the virus has run its course.  The damage to the economy is much,  much more difficult to deal with.  

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

...

[Juan63]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 I don't know if that's true but I think you should worry way more about the long term. The economic effect is way worse than the disease itself. The death rate is extremely low. I'm not saying you shouldn't be safe, but to close the world's economy for an extended period of time, will kill more people than this disease.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Well, @Mark116  let's survive this first... and then we will worry about the economy 🙂

One of our politicians said the other day:  "Maybe the global percentage of death is small... but for the one who dies, the percentage is 100% ! "

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

Well, @Mark116  let's survive this first... and then we will worry about the economy 🙂

One of our politicians said the other day:  "Maybe the global percentage of death is small... but for the one who dies, the percentage is 100% ! "

[Juan63]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 what is the point where you say we survived? 1 month, 2 months, what is the time table? You don't stop a virus by staying home. You beat it by becoming immune, and that doesn't mean by vaccines. You really think businesses can last locked down for months? I think you really should rethink the ramifications of a horrific economy.

[Sarah977]

@Juan63 Yes, you do stop a highly communicable virus by staying home. If everyone stayed home for the next three weeks, no one would be passing it around, anyone who already contracted it would either never develop any symptoms, get mildly or severely sick, the severe cases could be attended to by medical personel and it would be over.

Do you think you know better than all the health and scientific community? Because they are telling us to stay home.

[Juan63]

@Sarah977  No, you don't. It only slows the infection rate. Which is ok in the short term but not a long term solution. Yes, I don't know better but I have ears and a brain and there are different opinions. The scientific community doesn't have a big magnificent unified plan to rid of this pandemic, so spare me that they even know how to deal with this. But all would agree that immunity will be what wins the day. Do scientists deal with the economy? So why would you ask a scientist anyway?

[Sarah977]

@Juan63  The virus has a 14 day incubation period. Then it can take 5 days or so to develop symptoms if you've been exposed. So if everyone just stayed the f home for 4 weeks, no one who has it would be infecting others, any who had been exposed would either develop symptoms or not, mild or severe, the severe cases could be dealt with by medical personel, they would either survive or die, and it would be over. No host bodies equals no surviving virus. That would not just slow the rate of infection, it would eliminate it. It acheives the same result as mass vaccinations, and since there's no vaccination, it's the only sane choice.

What is so difficult to understand about that for so many people?

[Juan63]

@Sarah977 do you know who's sick right now? No you don't.  You could have a unknowingly sick adult staying home with an elderly person for example. Plus staying homing is not realistic. The general public needs food, water, medicine and other essentials. Plumbers, electricians, and other tradesmen will be going to possibly infected homes. Doctors, nurses, caretakers, they can't stay home either. Staying home is not a plan, it's a small measure to slow the spread, not cure it. How do you "cure" a cold? You have a strong immune system and you don't catch it, or you get sick and become immune!