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Airbnb to require hosts to adhere to enhanced cleaning protocols or risk being booted off the platform

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Home-sharing company Airbnb announced Thursday that its hosts will now be required to follow the company’s enhanced cleaning requirements in order to address safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

The global company outlined its “Airbnb Enhanced Clean” standards on its website, which includes a “five-step process” based on “Airbnb’s cleaning handbook, which was developed in partnership with former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and backed by global health and hospitality experts.” 

Airbnb’s website states that starting Nov. 20, all hosts will be required to follow the new safety guidelines and procedures, which include scrubbing floors and other surfaces with soap and water; washing linens on high heat; disinfecting high-touch items like door knobs; and ventilating rooms.

The company added that guests and hosts must wear masks and socially distance when interacting with each other.

The company says that all hosts who do not adhere to the new guidelines “may be subject to warnings, suspensions and, in some cases, removal from the Airbnb platform.”

According to The Associated Press, Airbnb said hosts in China are not subject to these new guidelines because they have their own local cleaning program. 

The AP reported that nearly 1.5 million hosts have signed on to commit to the enhanced cleaning standards since they were first introduced in June, a fraction of the company’s 7 million total listings.

The requirements come as Airbnb has faced increased scrutiny over the safety of its listings as COVID-19 cases continue to soar in the U.S. and around the globe. 

In August, the company announced it would be setting the maximum house occupancy for its listings at 16 people and banning all parties from being hosted at Airbnb locations. The decision came after Airbnb said earlier in the month that it was pursuing legal action against a guest who held an unauthorized party at a home in Sacramento County, Calif., where three people were shot and wounded.

Tags Airbnb Airbnb Associated Press California China Coronavirus COVID-19 Sacramento United States Vacation rental Vivek Murthy

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