Airbnb Property Owners In The UK Prepare Free Rooms For Medical Workers

JAKARTA - In line with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, solidarity has also been established between people around the world. Mutual cooperation and mutual assistance are carried out to fight a common enemy called the corona virus. One of them is done by property owners who are members of an online service provider, Airbnb in England.

Even though Airbnb property owners have suffered heavy losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has not discouraged them from helping others. As reported by Reuters on Sunday, March 29, property owners at Airbnb will provide free rooms for workers in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) who are at the forefront of fighting the pace of COVID-19. As of now, nearly 1,500 residences have been provided.

Director of Public Policy at Airbnb, Patrick Robinson, said the effort was made to support the British government which is working to improve health services to deal with the crisis caused by COVID-19. The move includes setting up a temporary hospital on the Olympic site as well as turning an amusement park into a testing facility for health workers.

"By working together, we can ensure that workers at the forefront can find a free and comfortable place to live in while pursuing the fight against COVID-19," said Patrick Robinson.

In fact, Airbnb has implemented similar schemes in Italy and France in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the goal of Airbnb is to accommodate up to one hundred thousand healthcare workers and those who fought at the forefront around the world during COVID-19.

Not only that, Airbnb has also made other efforts in the form of suspending marketing activities to save costs, and those in the executive ranks have taken the stance of cutting wages as the company struggles amid a decline in turnover.

This step should be appreciated. Especially if you look at the past few months, when bookings on Airbnb in major cities around the world have decreased turnover because travelers cancel trips and choose to stay at home to apply physical distancing.