Technology

Airbnb extends ‘party ban’ through end of summer

Airbnb is extending its “party ban” on rentals through the end of the summer in the interest of public health, the company announced Thursday.

The update extends the ban the house rental company put in place last August on all parties and event listings on its platform.

“At the time of the August 2020 policy change, COVID-19 cases were spiking, and vaccines were not yet approved. As we said then and still believe now, this indefinite ban was in the best interest of public health,” Airbnb said in a blog post.

As part of the ban, Airbnb will continue to make filters to search for “event-friendly” listings inaccessible and remove any “parties and events allowed” in listings.

In the U.S, guests without a history of positive reviews on Airbnb will also be prohibited from making one night reservations in entire home listings in the U.S. during the July 4 weekend.

Airbnb’s “party ban” extension comes as more than 60 percent of adults in the U.S. have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

People who are fully vaccinated can resume activities that they did prior to the pandemic, including traveling domestically without being tested or self-quarantining after, according to CDC guidance.