Vancouverscape, a Vancouver based blog covering travel, tech, and lifestyle

Launched late last week, Airbnb’s new global initiative to provide support to COVID-19 healthcare and emergency crews will place them closer to where they work, helping to save lives during the pandemic.

The global rental service brand has partnered with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Rescue Committee, International Medical Corps and other nonprofit organizations to help support their relief workers on the front lines.

The company’s goal is to help house 100,000 healthcare professionals, relief workers and first responders around the world. Airbnb hosts can opt in to provide homes that follow new cleanliness protocols based on recommendations from medical experts.

Via Airbnb’s Open Homes platform, all fees are waived for stays arranged via this initiative. Over 6,000 Airbnb hosts from both France and Italy have already offered their homes to healthcare workers for free through Airbnb.

Accommodation for relief and medical workers (many with higher exposure to COVID-19) requires vigorous 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.

And if you don’t have an Airbnb space to help lend a hand, there’s an online donation tool with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to nonprofits helping with COVID-19 relief efforts.