SAND LAKE — June Farms has decided to temporarily stop renting cabins after receiving criticism on social media for appearing to appeal to New York City residents traveling in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The negativity on social media seemed to grow out of an Instagram story a friend of owner Matt Baumgartner shared a few days ago that had a screenshot of June Farms with the statement "if you're looking for a respite from the city come stay at @junefarms." The Rensselaer County property, which often hosts weddings and other events, also posted on Instagram itself on March 15 that its cabins were still available for rent.

Baumgartner told the Times Union that the person who posted the Instagram story is not a June Farms employee and is just a friend who lives in the city who was trying to help out. He said he felt a lot of misinformation spread about him specifically advertising to people who live in the city, which is not the case.

“If people are upset at me because they feel I have advertised to people in New York City to come to the farm then I apologize; that wasn’t what I was doing,” Baumgartner said.

Baumgartner said in a Facebook video Tuesday that the response from the community was so strong that he will stop renting out cabins through Airbnb for at least the next four weeks.

“Everyday is crazy, but today is particularly crazy because I was just flooded with comments with people in the area who are upset at me,” Baumgartner said. “My gut is telling me we should be welcoming to people that need shelter, no matter where they’re from, but I do understand this is something new that we never really dealt with before.”

This also comes after Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin asked people arriving from the New York City metropolitan area to report to the county Public Health Department and go into 14 days of self-quarantine. McLaughlin expressed some of his frustrations on twitter. Vacation locations across the Northeast are pushing back collectively against people who are leaving tightly-backed urban areas to rent houses or occupying their second residences.

Latest coronavirus-related cancellations, postponements

The latest coronavirus numbers in NY

Sign up for the Times Union coronavirus newsletter

Full coronavirus coverage

“The numbers, the facts, the science don't lie: 94% of the cases are in NYC, Long Island, Westchester & Rockland,” McLaughlin tweeted. “In what world does it make sense to not have a 14 day quarantine for anyone travelling from there to here? It is insane & it is going to get people killed upstate.”

Rensselaer County Legislator Charles Peter also tweeted the screenshot from Baumgartner's friend's Instagram account, saying "It's astonishing at a time like this you're trying to capitalize on people's fear and simutaneously putting our region at risk by encouraging unnecessary travel."

Despite his decision to temporarily end rentals, Baumgartner pointed out that hotels and lodging are listed as essential businesses per the governor’s executive PAUSE order, and therefore are allowed to stay open during the pandemic. Airbnb is continuing its operations and is providing refunds to guests who are canceling due to COVID-19 related reasons, according to a press release from the rental service’s website.

“It was never a grey area,” Baumgartner said. “It never felt like I was doing anything shady.”

He also said it would probably be easier to social distance at his farm than in a hotel, noting he was renting out three cabins spread across 120 acres of land.

“You are separated by thousands of feet of woods from any other person,”Baumgartner said. “It’s so much safer to stay at June Farms than a hotel.”

Baumgartner said the self-guided tours June Farms is offering for a donation is still going on. If the state ever closes parks, he will cease that operation, he said.