In its latest continued attempt to help combat the spread of COVID-19 and stop rampant house parties, Airbnb has announced it is "prohibiting" all one-night reservations for entire-home listings on New Year's Eve in Ohio — and across the rest of U.S. (and Western Europe and Australia).
They'll also "be deploying more stringent restrictions on one and two-night reservations that may pose heightened risk for parties," says a release.
The rental company enacted a similar ban around Halloween to curb partying.
And this isn't all they've done to crackdown on large gatherings.
In August, the online lodging marketplace instituted a ban on all parties and events at Airbnb listings — across the globe — and capped max occupancy for all rentals at 16. The rule applies to "all future bookings on Airbnb and it will apply indefinitely until further notice."
“As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Ohio, it’s imperative that we all step up and do our part to reduce the number of parties and large gatherings across the state,” said Alex Dagg, Northeast public policy director for Airbnb. “We hope to bring greater awareness to our 24/7 neighbor support line, which helps us bolster the enforcement of our ban on parties in Cincinnati and throughout the state.”
The company suspended or removed multiple listings in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus for violating those aforementioned house party policies.
The company has a 24/7 Neighborhood Support Hotline, where you can call to raise any concerns or complain. "Issues raised by Ohioans through this hotline led directly to some of the listing suspensions announced today," says Airbnb.
They also reminded everyone that not all Ohio hosts are bad.
"The vast majority of hosts in Ohio contribute positively to their neighborhoods and economy, and they also take important steps to help prevent unauthorized parties — like establishing clear house rules, quiet hours, and communicating in advance with their guests. Our actions today address the small minority of hosts who have previously received warnings about hosting responsibly or have otherwise violated our policies," says Airbnb.
You can read more about the New Year's Eve plan to "prioritize safe and responsible travel, and do our part to try and stop large gatherings that can spread this virus" at news.airbnb.com.
