The leadership of Prague’s first district hates Airbnb so much, it’s using the coronavirus crisis to stick the knife in. Its mayor Petr Hejma has asked the Ministry of Health to ban short-term flat rental platforms from operating during the epidemic, claiming it present a risk to the public. He referred to a case in which two French tourists who stayed in a flat in the center were found to have had COVID 19 once they returned home. There’s even a connection to the now infamous case of the taxi driver whose infection sparked the closing of schools and public events on Tuesday. That driver not only spent days driving customers around Prague, but he also rents a flat out using the Airbnb platform. The issue is due to be discussed by the country’s Security Council. Prague’s mayor Zdeněk Hřib says that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš shares his view that short-term rentals are a serious problem. This has prompted a backlash from the Czech Association of Renting in Private (ČAPUS) whose representative Matěj Koutny said that if short-term rentals are shut down, hotels should be closed as well.
