All Airbnbs in Beijing Will Be Shut Down Until At Least April 30 Due to Coronavirus
Airbnb has shut down bookings in Beijing as the deadly coronavirus has sparked global travel alerts.
The homesharing site has been adhereing to travel regulations for affected areas by canceling reservations in Beijing between February 7 and April 30, a spokesperson confirmed to Travel + Leisure on Friday.
%image1
“As efforts to control the novel coronavirus outbreak continue, we will comply with additional guidance issued for the industry during this public health emergency,” the company said in a statement. “We will refund and support guests who had cancelled reservations. And we will continue to work diligently to build programs that support our community of hosts."
As an overwhelming majority of confirmed cases are in mainland China, the company says it is following municipal orders regarding short-term rentals.
Outside of Beijing, local governments have requested to suspend bookings in Wuhan until March 31, Wuxi until February 20, Chongqing’s Yongchuan District until February 29 and Shenyang’s Sujiatun District until March 31.
The regulations are released at a city or district level and may be updated as time goes on.
Related: Everything You Need to Know If You're Traveling During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Video)
The Airbnb website also lists mainland China and the Hubei province under its current extenuating circumstances policy.
Reservations booked in Hubei before January 28 with a check-in date of April 1, 2020 or earlier are eligible for a full refund. Those who had booked travel to mainland China can receive a refund on reservations booked before February 1 for travel through February 29.
At least 1,369 people have died of coronavirus so far, mostly in mainland China, according to the newest World Health Organization (WHO) report. There are nearly 48,000 confirmed cases around the world.
Hilton has also closed 150 properties in China as the virus continues to spread.
