Airbnb’s Frontline Stays initiative has helped house over 100,000 healthcare professionals, relief workers and first responders globally, and now they are extending to assist COVID-19 frontliners in Malaysia!
The programme will be launched in Malaysia and is expected to roll out in April, to provide frontliners with safe and convenient places to stay while they carry out their critical work.
Photo via Airbnb
This will be a joint effort between Airbnb and Malaysian hosts, endorsed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH), in which Airbnb is also exploring working with other local civil society and non-profit organizations to garner support for this initiative.
Airbnb hosts in Malaysia who wish to open their homes and be part of the programme can sign up at airbnb.com/covid19relief.
Introducing a global programme driven by local partners
Frontline Stays has also been expanded so that individual respondents can book directly from the Airbnb platform, allowing hosts to help even more people who are in immediate need. Airbnb will be working with businesses, nonprofits and government and emergency management agencies supporting these healthcare staff and first responders.
Airbnb will continue to waive fees for all 100,000 stays booked through this programme. Hosts can also opt into the programme and have the option of opening their home for free through Airbnb’s Open Homes platform, created in 2012, to meet the needs of people requiring emergency housing.
Photo via Airbnb
If hosts are not able to host for free, Airbnb will still waive all fees on the stay.
“From floods to earthquakes and other natural disasters, the Airbnb community has a long history of providing accommodation to those in need when the worse happens. Amid this global pandemic, we at Airbnb recognise that medical workers are at the forefront of saving lives and we are committed to working with our community to do whatever we can to support them,” said Mich Goh, Head of Public Policy (Southeast Asia) Airbnb.
“We’ve been inspired by the generosity of Malaysian hosts to nonprofits who have reached out to us seeking ways to support their frontliners.”
“The safety and wellbeing of our COVID-19 responders continue to remain one of the Ministry’s key priorities,” says YAB Dato’ Dr. Noor Azmi Ghazali, Deputy Minister of Health. “There are ongoing efforts to lend them as much support as possible, in order to enable them to continue doing their jobs, and we believe that this collaboration with Airbnb is a timely initiative that will contribute to those efforts.”
Khairul and Nani, a husband-and-wife team of Airbnb hosts, have seen their listing booked by stranded overseas guests who have been unable to return home due to cancelled flights. “Humanity comes first”, says Nani. “Everyone needs a roof to stay under, especially in this trying time. We need to help each other in any way we can.” Khairul added.
“We hope Malaysian hosts will open Airbnb homes to frontline healthcare staff and first responders as they have been courageous in this fight against COVID-19”.
Upholding a commitment to health and safety
Accommodation for relief and medical workers who have higher exposure to COVID-19 will require robust preventive practices and stringent safety standards. Airbnb takes the health and safety of its community very seriously and has worked with leading experts and officials to develop a protocol for hosts who support this collective health effort.
The protocol will be updated to incorporate new requirements from local and national authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Safe hosting includes listing entire homes and agreeing to a number of safety requirements including enhanced cleaning, social distancing with their guests, and allowing 72 hours between stays.
Supporting our frontliners
To help power even more stays for relief workers while they do their critical work, Airbnb has also launched a donation tool, with 100% proceeds to go directly to nonprofits helping with COVID-19 relief efforts.
Hospitals and organizations can also use Airbnb to find accommodations for healthcare professionals, relief workers, and first responders on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response by signing up!
Thank you to those who have opened up their homes for the frontliners. You too, are heroes! Stay home, stay safe, everyone.
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
