(TAN): Hosts on Airbnb are offering NHS and other frontline medical staff free places to stay while they carry out their critical work, and Airbnb is waiving all fees for the stays. Hosts across the UK can opt into the programme and offer an entire home property through Airbnb’s Open Homes platform, created in 2012 to meet the needs of people requiring emergency housing.
The initiative is a local expansion of a new global program by Airbnb to help house 100,000 healthcare professionals, relief workers, and first responders battling the coronavirus outbreak around the world. Nearly 1,500 places to stay have already been offered by hosts in the UK.
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“The entire country is behind our heroic NHS and medical staff as they battle the coronavirus outbreak. We have made it our priority to stand with the Airbnb community to do what we can to help. By working together, we can ensure that frontline workers can find a free and convenient place to stay as they continue their critical work. We thank our doctors and nurses across the country from the bottom of our hearts and are grateful to hosts who have already opened their homes during these difficult times,” said Patrick Robinson, Director of Public Policy at Airbnb.
Airbnb staff will offer direct support to NHS hospitals and trusts, and other healthcare organizations, and help their frontline staff book accommodation.
The initiative builds on programs already launched in Italy and France where Airbnb and local partners, including the French Government, announced that doctors, nurses, caregivers and other medical support staff who are responding to the outbreak in the country can access accommodation on Airbnb. More than 8,000 hosts so far have offered their homes in Italy and France and 20,000 globally.
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Any host who is willing to provide free accommodation to NHS and other frontline healthcare professionals should visit airbnb.co.uk/d/medicalstaysuk for details.
A NHS hospital, trust, or other healthcare organisation searching for accommodation for their staff on the platform can visit airbnb.co.uk/d/medicalstaysuk for more information.
A doctor, nurse or healthcare worker looking for a place to stay can visit airbnb.co.uk/d/medicalstaysuk for more details.
