Frontline medical staff offered free places to stay by Airbnb

Airbnb has announced it will offer frontline healthcare workers free places to stay during the coronavirus outbreak.

The accommodation marketplace said it had teamed up with the NHS to expand a global programme which aims to house 100,000 healthcare professionals, relief workers and first responders battling the coronavirus pandemic around the world.

Homeowners who list their properties through Airbnb are able to opt in to the programme and offer an entire home, with Airbnb waiving all fees for the stays.

So far, nearly 1,500 places to stay have been offered in the UK.

Patrick Robinson, director of public policy at Airbnb, said: “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.”

Airbnb staff will offer direct support to NHS hospitals and Trusts and other healthcare organisations, and help their frontline staff book accommodation.

The initiative builds on programmes already launched in Italy and France where Airbnb and local partners, including the French Government, announced that doctors, nurses, care-givers and other medical support staff who are responding to the outbreak in the country can access accommodation on Airbnb.