According to the South China Morning Post, the latest update on the Wuhan virus is close to 4500 people infected in China, with 106 deaths. “In addition to air transmission, the coronavirus can be spread through physical contact, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said on Tuesday” (SCMP 28 Jan 2020)

No doubt our government is highly concerned and has swiftly implemented measures to keep Singapore safe. These include tracking at risk personnel and keeping them quarantined. I recall the overly restrictive (but on hindsight, forward-looking) rules of People’s Park Complex. Last August they decided to track and restrict visitors for vice. I believe the residents now benefit from an additional layer of administrative protection from the Wuhan virus.

Here is an excerpt from Today, 9 Aug 2019.

“Residents at the 46-year-old property whom TODAY spoke to said that visitors — including boyfriends, girlfriends and relatives — are not allowed to stay over, and that the measures have turned their homes into a “prison”. The strata-titled Chinatown development has commercial units on the lower floors and apartments on the upper floors.

According to the residents, some visitors have been told that if their visit exceeds two hours, the unit would be “blackmarked”. Any visitor staying overnight has had his or her particulars taken down. The measures were outlined in a circular issued by the complex’s management corporation in late July, which indicated that they would take effect on Aug 1. Residents also claimed that they were subjected to routine checks on whether they each carried an access card when entering or leaving the premises.”

As the virus become more widespread globally, AirBnB will have a problem. Some of the immediate ones to highlight are:

1. Can cleaners disinfect the premises properly within the short handover period?
2. How can AirBnB track and notify their guests and inform authorities of a case?
3. How do neighbors feel about the increased risk of exposure from guests?

Related posts: “No more AirBnb? Time to talk sense to some owners.”