hosting a guest with COVID-19

[Kenneth269]

I'm not sure who to ask, so I'm turning to this forum.  Does AirBnB have any policies about hosting a guest who knows he has been exposed to, or even diagnosed with, COVID-19? Or as hosts, how would you feel about the following situation? 

My son is a university student living off campus in a distant (US) city where new cases have been surging.  If one of his housemates is diagnosed with COVID-19, we might recommend that he use an AirBnB or hotel to quarantine himself until he tests negative.  Or if *he* tests positive, we might recommend he quarantine himself temporarily at an AirBnB or hotel until his mother or I can arrive to care for him.  

Currently everyone is fine, but we're trying to develop a contingency plan in case these situations possibly arise.

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

-KS

[Nanxing0]

Airbnb has implemented a COVID opt-in with several precautions hosts have to take to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It's designed to let hosts help those healthcare workers with discount/free stays but those regulations are very helpful for your situation as well. It includes:

1. The listing must be a whole place instead of a guest room or something. This eliminates the possibility of human-to-human interatction.

2. 72 hours turnover between guests, ensures enough time for virus left over on surfaces to be ineffective.

3. Updated cleaning and disinfecting procedure. 

I'd suggest that you reach out to potential hosts and explain to them the situation and see what they can accommodate. I have accommodated several people quarantine in our Airbnb and never had any problem.

[Sarah977]

@Kenneth269  If one of your son's housemates tests positive, there doesn't seem much point, IMO, in your son leaving his home and staying elsewhere- he would have already been exposed to the virus in a shared-house situation, which is the most common means of transmission. It would be better for him to just stay home and wait it out and get tested.  

[Debra300]

@Kenneth269,

See if this posting provides you the information you need: https://www.airbnb.com/resources/hosting-homes/a/your-guest-or-host-may-have-covid-19-now-what-168.

[Helen3]

I think many hosts won't want to risk hosting a patient who has Covid @Kenneth269 . Would you?

As you know your son and all his housemates would all need to self isolate if one had Covid so there would not be much point the person with Covid moving with the risk of them spreading the virus further.

They should stay in the property.

Far better for your son and his housemates to put a plan in place for how they can self-isolate from each other if one of them becomes infected. And them all practicising social distancing to minimise their risk of becoming infected.

I think you are right, they would be wise to plan particularly with the the US continuing to have the highest levels of infections and deaths in the world and no signs of the virus rates of infection slowing down as it has in other countries with stricter regulations in place.

[Lisa723]

@Kenneth269 As a host I would not have a problem with a guest using one of my houses for this purpose. 

[Emilia42]

@Kenneth269 

As a host, I would want transparency and, frankly, payment. Not saying that I would charge a sick, or risky, guest more money but I would not want a guest to show up with unclear intentions and then think that they are entitled to stay as long as they need because it would be irresponsible of me to let them loose. 

But in all reality, COVID will probably go through your son's household, if it hasn't already, and they might not even know.