Holidaymakers affected by Covid lockdowns and state border closures might not be eligible for refunds from bookings company Airbnb, which no longer considers pandemic cancellations to be “unforeseen”. The change to Airbnb’s cancellations and refunds policy, introduced in October last year, means Covid is no longer considered an extenuating circumstance. Guests affected by pandemic-related transportation disruptions and border closures will be at the mercy of individual hosts’ cancellation policies. “After the declaration of Covid-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, the extenuating circumstances policy no longer applies because Covid-19 and its consequences are no longer unforeseen or unexpected,” Airbnb says on its website. Guests can view their host’s cancellation policy prior to booking.

Source: The Guardian May 29, 2021 19:52 UTC