Shared Accommodations Emerging as 'Safe Havens' for Families of Self-Isolated Individuals

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Demand for temporary accommodations where families of self-quarantined individuals can stay outside their homes is surging to prevent secondary infections of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Instead of hotels, which are relatively expensive and mostly do not allow cooking, urban guesthouses and shared accommodations are emerging as alternatives. Operators, who have been struggling due to the sharp decline in foreign tourists, are welcoming the opportunity to mutually support each other if they can provide lodging to domestic families. However, under current law, domestic stays at shared accommodations such as Airbnb are illegal.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH), as of the 6th, there are a total of 46,566 self-quarantined individuals nationwide. Based on a family of four, the number of family members of self-quarantined individuals approaches 200,000. This number has surged since the 1st, when all overseas arrivals were required to self-quarantine for two weeks.

The government and local governments are busy preparing temporary accommodations for families of quarantined individuals to prevent infections among family members. They are collaborating with some hotels to offer long-term stay packages at discounted rates averaging 20-70%. However, hotels do not allow cooking and are clustered near tourist spots, making it difficult to provide convenience for ordinary people who need to continue daily activities such as commuting to work.

This is one reason why families are increasingly seeking shared accommodations that can use ordinary homes as they are. An operator of shared accommodations in Seoul said, "Since the beginning of this month, inquiries about reservations from families of self-quarantined individuals have increased significantly. When one family member must self-quarantine at home, other family members need accommodations, and if basic verification is done to ensure there is no infection risk from the quarantined individual, we are ready to accept reservations."

The issue is legality. However, the interests of accommodation operators, whose income has sharply declined due to the absence of tourists, and families with self-quarantined members who need affordable lodging, coincide.

At the same time, a legal path for domestic shared lodging is opening. The government and industry have been steadily discussing 'domestic lodging sharing within urban areas,' and as early as this week, the urban guesthouse platform 'WeHome,' known as the Korean version of Airbnb, is expected to receive business commencement approval, enabling full-scale domestic operations. If the Ministry of Science and ICT, the competent authority, designates a regulatory sandbox within this week, 4,000 hosts in Seoul will be able to legally provide shared lodging to domestic guests for up to 180 days per year. Seoul City and the shared lodging industry are promoting plans for families of self-quarantined individuals to use shared lodging facilities accordingly. Jo Sang-gu, CEO of WeHome, said, "Shared lodging is a trend of the times, and we hope this will open a path for the survival of shared lodging operators who have been thrown into 'mental breakdown' by the COVID-19 crisis."