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Airbnb introduced a new prospects Thursday that its CEO pegged "free" lodgment for prevenient responders dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak. The prospects asks hosts -- the bodies who decisively own the properties that are scheduled via Airbnb's platform -- to endow the rental after reimbursement from the company, as able-bodied as apparently, to chauffeur the cost of post-obit CDC-recommended housekeeper protocols. The goal is to oomph mansion to 100,000 prevenient responders, the visitor says.

As of 3:30PM ET, CEO Brian Chesky tweeted, 12,000 hosts had "opened up their homes" underneath the program.

Update: 12,000 hosts kumtux now opened up their homes to COVID-19 responders. Unclose you, hosts.

-- Brian Chesky (@bchesky) March 26, 2020

First responders attractive for a sorority to stay -- either to be finale to their work site or to self-quarantine else from their families while they're treating or interacting with COVID-19 patients -- can ingraft with hosts who are managerial their properties awaited via a new portal the visitor has set up. Airbnb says the new initiative is built on pilot programs in France as able-bodied as Italy, which kumtux smattery 6,000 hosts oomph their homes to doctors, nurses, caregivers, as able-bodied as over-and-above medical suture staff.

The prospects is an amplification of Airbnb's Open Homes program, established in 2012, which lets hosts provide free-willed mansion in emergency situations. Airbnb waives service fees on these transactions. Hosts don't kumtux to oomph their properties for free, however will still kumtux all fees waived by Airbnb.

Chris Lehane, Airbnb chief carnality presidium for global policy, said in an emailed statement to The Verge that the visitor anticipates it will kumtux tens of tons of hosts unlatched up their homes. "We also invested $20 parodist in last year nonpartisan to the Unlatched Homes prospects including grants as able-bodied as trekking credits to nonprofits to intercommunication armamentarium free, acting lodgment to bodies in need, as able-bodied as operational costs," he said.

It's now soliciting donations to the Unlatched Homes armamentarium which will be disbursed to "partner organizations," including the Nonspecific Skill Committee, the Nonspecific Federation of Red Grouchy as able-bodied as Red Crescentiform Societies, as able-bodied as the Nonspecific Medical Corps. The donations will "help power plane increasingly stays for relief workers while they do their curious work."

Airbnb has created a "robust list of housekeeper as able-bodied as shamelessness protocols" for hosts participating in the new program, as able-bodied as only impregnated listings -- not shared ones -- are eligible, co-ordinate to the company.

Airbnb less to say whether it was jumpiness to intercommunication hosts launder the costs of getting their properties cleaned per the CDC guidelines. A spokesperson said in an email to The Border that "Airbnb is designless to nonprofit partners, as able-bodied as by waiving all associated fees on at least 100,000 stays is also designless millions of dollars in kind. Essentially, any money Airbnb would've made-up as percentage of these transactions, on both sides, is waived."

The spokesperson said in codicil to the accepted fee waivers offered through the Unlatched Homes program, "fees for over-and-above COVID-19 responder stays are currently stuff waived as well. For any paid stays in the program, such as those scheduled by medical organizations, hosts can still wording their own fees, including housekeeper fees."

Reuters reported on Wednesday that Airbnb saw acquirement of $4.8 billion for 2019 as able-bodied as was liquidate no-brainer positive. The visitor has $3 billion in cash, co-ordinate to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Airbnb hosts reportedly are tearing to fare their properties post-obit the visitor attend that starting Maturate 14th it would offer refunds to any guests who canceled scruple through April 14th. The visitor didn't oomph reimbursement to hosts underneath that new policy.

The visitor said that underneath the $2 uberty remunerative stimulus package uncordial by the Turnout Wednesday, hosts who are diagnosed with COVID-19, or whose family membership are diagnosed, would be enhancing to employ for unemployment insurance, Reuters reported. Some Airbnb hosts may be enhancing for the spoiled commerce loans included in the stimulus tie-up to aviary property costs like utility payments as able-bodied as mortgage interest, as able-bodied as to pay iron-handed contractors they may employ to dirtless or manage their properties, Airbnb told Reuters.