Airbnb extends its no-charge cancellation policy

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Airbnb saw it fit to implement updates to its Extenuating Circumstances policy. This change means hosts and guests who cancel eligible reservations made on or before March 14, 2020, with check-in dates between March 14 and April 14, 2020, will not be charged or penalized. It applies to both places to stay as well as Airbnb Experiences around the world. The company assures its hosts that they will help those who are affected economically by the circumstances.

Airbnb said in a statement, “We will be working in the days and weeks ahead to identify tools and initiatives to support our hosts during these very challenging times.” The company promised it will not collect fees or benefit from any cancelled reservations. 

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Apple outlines guidelines for COVID-19-related apps on the App Store

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Apple is cracking down on apps in its App Store that are related to COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of misinformation. At the same time, it's released some guidelines on what apps related to the virus will be allowed. Credible organizations—such as government entities, health-focused NGOs, and educational institutions—will be allowed to submit apps. And the company encourages developers that meet these criteria to pick "Time-Sensitive Event" on the expedite request form to make sure these get priority for review since it might take some time for App Store reviews. 

What the tech giant isn't allowing are those that are meant to entertain (like games) with the virus as their theme, but also, of course, those that spread misleading information. "The App Store should always be a safe and trusted place for users to download apps. Now more than ever that commitment takes on special significance as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic," Apple wrote in a statement.

Blizzard's Overwatch League events this March, April won't be happening

While Overwatch League matches will continue, the events scheduled for March and April have been cancelled due to novel coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Blizzard announced that it's still planning when or where the games will be made up in the future. 

In a statement released on Twitter, Activision Blizzard Esports CEO Pete Vlastelica said the games would be played in some form. "To be clear, we will be playing matches in March and April," he said. "We cancelled the events, not the matches (though we will have to move a few things around in the schedule to make this work)."

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E3 2020 will not happen due to coronavirus concerns

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With the growing concern over the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), it comes as no surprise that another big tech event won't be pushing through. This time, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3 as we know it, won't be happening in June. ESA, the organization behind E3, confirmed the news.

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