Airbnb said on Wednesday that it will not allow any bookings in the Washington, DC metro area during the week of President-elect Joe Biden‘s inauguration following calls from DMV area leaders to stay away from the city due to security threats.
The San Francisco-based company will also cancel the existing reservations in the region at that time.
The announcement came only two days after Airbnb issued a statement saying it would block users who were involved in the US Capitol siege on January 6 from booking rooms on its platform, as well as those associated with hate groups. The company cited security reasons for its move.
Now with the updated decision, no booking will be available in the DC area ahead of the presidential inauguration.
Airbnb users whose reservations are canceled will receive their refunds in full. Hosts will also be reimbursed what they would have earned from the canceled bookings.
“Airbnb’s work continues to be informed by inputs from our local host community as well as Washington, D.C. officials, Metro Police and Members of Congress throughout this week,” the home-rental platform said in its statement.
“In particular, Mayor Bowser, Governor Hogan and Governor Northam have been clear that visitors should not travel to the D.C. Metro area for the Inauguration. Additionally, we are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration. We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community,” the statement added.
Airbnb is also currently working on identifying individuals confirmed by authorities to have been involved in the US Capitol attack on January 6 who have accounts on the rental platform. A number of users have already been banned from Airbnb as a result of this investigation.
DMV Leaders Discourage Coming to DC for Inauguration in Joint Release
Capitol Rioters May Face Sedition and Conspiracy Charges, DOJ Says