Airbnb has released a note of warning to both hosts and guests regarding house parties in Ohio, especially during the month of May when people are typically celebrating graduations and chugging beers/cooking out during Memorial Day weekend.
"Under typical circumstances, Airbnb empowers our hosts to set House Rules on events and parties that are appropriate for their communities. However, these are very different times, and public health must come first," says a release from Airbnb. "To that end, we have previously announced that we will not allow for hosts to authorize parties and events in regions where current public health mandates prohibit events and gatherings. Given the executive orders from Governor DeWine, our new policy means we are not allowing any type of party in Cincinnati until further notice."
And this is not just a verbal scolding: Airbnb says it will be cooperating with Cincinnati Police in any investigations "relating to parties and violations of public health mandates, consistent with our Terms of Service."
The rental service has also disabled its "event-friendly" search filter for the time being and has removed the "parties and events allowed" rule from any Cincinnati listings.
While house parties may be out, Airbnb has been seeing its hosts offering thousands of places to stay across the globe for health care workers and those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis via its Airbnb’s Frontline Stays program.
"We are incredibly proud of hosts in cities around the world who have offered their homes to those on the front lines and in need of shelter, and we thank them for providing this critical need for safe accommodations at such an important moment in history," says the release.
Airbnb will continue to update its policies according to the latest social distancing guidelines from the health department and government. For more, visit airbnb.com/covid19.
