Airbnb is cracking down after private parties were organized in Montreal homes and posted on its website despite lockdown measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“More than 45” rentals were suspended or withdrawn from the platform of the American giant, which said that the measures announced Monday affected a “very small number of hosts” who had already been the subject of warnings in the past.
The culprits were warned last week, according to the organization.
Due to the health crisis, the short-term rental site had announced earlier this year to ban private parties and gatherings in the homes and residences for rent on its platform.
READ MORE: Airbnb bans house parties worldwide amid coronavirus
Nathan Rotman, Airbnb’s public policy manager in Canada, said in a statement that with the increase in the number of cases of infections in Montreal and across Quebec, it was “crucial that everyone do their part” to limit “large gatherings” and “parties.”
The San Francisco-based company has taken series of measures to limit gatherings due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
In early 2020, Airbnb rolled out measures to restrict rentals by Canadian customers under the age of 25. This policy was subsequently introduced in the United Kingdom, France and Spain.
In Montreal, more than 160 reservations have been blocked on the website since the implementation of a method to verify reservations deemed at risk.