LISBON, Portugal, April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With
Covid-19 on the rise in Europe,
tech startups and lodging associations have joined forces to launch
the non-profit Rooms Against Covid initiative. The team of over
3000 volunteers from across multiple companies have mobilized
properties to support relocated healthcare professionals with
complimentary accommodation.
"While many have the privilege to self-isolate from COVID-19,
healthcare professionals continue to put their lives on the line to
protect the health of the general population worldwide," said
Pedro Colaco, CEO at Guestcentric
Systems, partnering company in the project.
"The increased risk of catching COVID-19 means that thousands of
healthcare professionals are focused on protecting their families
from exposure. The increased demand on healthcare services combined
with extended periods of separation from loved ones can make an
already stressful situation even more challenging," he
continued.
"The truth is that we cannot stop COVID-19 if we don't look
after our healthcare professionals who are in the front line
fighting the virus, first". added Tiago
Araujo, Co-Founder of HiJiffy, partnering company in the
initiative.
"The goal of Rooms Against Covid is to support healthcare
professionals with convenient access to accommodation during this
pandemic. Thus, alleviating the burden of them having to share
accommodation with families and friends and risk exposing their
loved ones to COVID-19," he added.
"Demand is high, as is to be expected, and we have already
received high volumes of reservations within hours of launching the
platform. Therefore we need more properties to open their doors,"
Colaco added. "We can only accept hotels licensed apartments due to
insurance and liability issues. We will need full hotels for this
use, as we cannot risk cross-contamination from healthcare
professionals and guests."
"We are starting in Portugal
where our largest team sits. Our goal is to expand to other
countries quickly, as we see that this is a global issue."
If you are a licensed property owner that would like to
participate in the project or a travel industry professional that
wants to help launch this project in your country please, please
visit our website here.
About Rooms Against Covid
The Rooms Against Covid partnership is central to the wider
Tech4Covid19 initiative, launched by 120 different tech startups
and companies across Portugal in
less than 48 hours. The team of over 3,000 volunteers has mobilized
under one common goal: to unite in the development of technological
solutions that help the population to overcome the challenge of
COVID-19.
SOURCE The Rooms Against Covid