Here's What To Know About Airbnb's New Halloween Booking Rule During The Pandemic
With the spookiest night of the year just around the corner, Airbnb is rolling out new measures to make sure your festivities are as safe as possible. Airbnb's Halloween 2020 one-night booking ban, which follows its Aug. 20 global ban on parties and big events, is an additional safeguard against possible super spreader gatherings. Here's how the ban could affect your staycation or travel plans over the holiday weekend.
With just weeks to go until Halloween weekend and spikes in COVID-19 cases all around the country, Airbnb is introducing an additional precautionary measure to dissuade partygoers from renting homes just for large gatherings. As of Oct. 6, the U.S. has had more than 7.53 million COVID-19 cases, and more than 210,000 people have died as a result of coronavirus complications.
With this in mind, Airbnb guests will not be able to book an entire home anywhere in the United States or Canada for just one evening on the nights of Friday, Oct. 30, or Saturday, Oct. 31. People who booked a one-night reservation before the ban was announced will have their stays canceled and will be reimbursed for their stay. Airbnb will also pay any costs for hosts who had their confirmed bookings canceled as a result of the new rule.
While guests can still book homes for two nights or more, Airbnb is also rolling out additional measures to dissuade guests from holding large parties. Guests without a history of positive reviews won't be able to make certain local and last-minute bookings for the weekend of Oct. 30 through Nov. 1, and Airbnb reminds all guests they are not allowed to hold parties and they may be subject to legal action if they do decide to violate Airbnb's party ban.
To quickly shut down any parties at Airbnb residences and hold the appropriate parties responsible, the company will be having workers for Airbnb’s neighborhood support line on call throughout the Halloween weekend to quickly respond to any issues. Back in August, Airbnb cracked down on people who were renting homes to hold big indoor gatherings — which have been linked to the spread of coronavirus due to the lack of air circulation, mask-wear, and social distancing — with a global ban on parties. While unauthorized parties have always been banned at Airbnb residences, the company limited the occupancy of Airbnb rentals to 16 people indefinitely in an effort to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Considering current expert advice and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) recommendations against attending large indoor parties, which can be a formula for a super spread of coronavirus, you might want to consider skipping the high-risk indoor celebrations this year.
If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Elite Daily's coverage of coronavirus here.
