The online vacation rental platform Airbnb has announced that it will provide free accommodation in the homes of volunteer hosts to health workers treating patients with Covid-19.
The company’s Frontline Stays program is working with the Mexican Red Cross to provide medical personnel with convenient and comfortable places to stay so they can focus their attention and efforts on saving lives.
Red Cross President Fernando Suinaga Cárdenas praised the “dedication, professionalism, commitment and spirit of service” of frontline medical workers and said that the alliance with Airbnb is a way to show them gratitude and support.
“We are infinitely grateful to Airbnb and its hosts for being in solidarity with all the frontline responders who are dedicating each day of their lives to fight against Covid-19,” he said.
Available accommodations include entire houses with independent entrances, as well as individual rooms in boutique hotels. Airbnb is offering hosts who volunteer as much as US $50 as a cleaning subsidy.
Guests will be obliged to follow strict safety requirements ranging from observing enhanced cleaning procedures to practicing physical distancing to allowing for a 72-hour buffer period between stays.
For its part, Airbnb expressed its gratitude to its hosts who are risking their personal safety and space to help respond to the crisis.
“The Mexican Airbnb hosts are the ones who have once again demonstrated their solidarity and generosity in times of need,” said Ángel Terral, the company’s country manager for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. “They are the heroes who are opening their spaces to help out in times of need.”
The Frontline Stays program is already putting up health workers in Spain, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United States. The cities of New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans have experienced severe outbreaks that have attracted doctors and nurses from around the country to help out.
Suinaga expressed hope that the program will be effective in helping efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak in Mexico.
“Mexicans have always shown that by joining efforts and being in solidarity we succeed,” he said. “I am sure this will be no exception.”
Mexico News Daily
