Latest COVID-19 Headlines

All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.

FACTBOX: China Takes Steps to Bolster Coronavirus-Hit Economy

Feb 19 2020 // Chinese policymakers have implemented a raft of measures to support an economy jolted by a coronavirus outbreak that is expected to have a devastating impact on first-quarter growth. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC)...

12 Chinese Insurers Co-Launch Coverage for Businesses Hit by Coronavirus

Feb 18 2020 // China’s southern province of Hainan has launched the first specially designed insurance product to cover losses incurred by businesses as a result of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the banking and insurance...

Cruise Ship Tests Coronavirus Containment as 300 Passengers Return to U.S.

Feb 17 2020 // TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif./GENEVA, Feb 17 —More than 300 American cruise liner passengers, including 14 who tested positive for coronavirus, were flown home to military bases in the United States after two weeks under...

Coronavirus Epidemic Could Infect Two-Thirds of World’s Population: WHO Scientist

Feb 14 2020 // As the number of coronavirus cases jumps dramatically in China, a top infectious-disease scientist warns that things could get far worse: Two-thirds of the world’s population could catch it. So says Ira Longini, an...

Coronavirus Leads Companies with Supply Chain Disruptions to Invoke ‘Force Majeure’

Feb 13 2020 // With the coronavirus outbreak that originated in Hubei province, China, showing no signs of abating any time soon, some companies that buy and sell goods in the Chinese market are taking interest in the legal defense of...

Insurers Rush to Exclude Coronavirus Epidemic from Event-Cancellation Protection

Feb 13 2020 // Businesses looking to buy cancellation insurance for events around the world will not be able to get cover for the new coronavirus outbreak, industry sources said, as insurers rush to exclude the epidemic from their...

Coronavirus Clouds U.S. Outlook But Economic Impact Should be Modest: S&P

Feb 12 2020 // The coronavirus outbreak in China is clouding the global outlook and leading to both business caution and potential overall weakness in U.S. growth, according to S&P Global. However, given its limited exposure, the...

Thai Insurer Offers First Coronavirus Insurance Policy

Feb 10 2020 // The world’s best-performing insurance firm has seized on the latest health concern to offer Thailand’s first policy to cover the novel coronavirus. TQM Corp., with partner Bangkok Insurance Pcl, this week...

Many Global Firms Face High Coronavirus Costs Due to Insurance Exclusions

Feb 10 2020 // Many global companies from hotels and airlines to industrial houses are expected to have to foot the bill for disruptions caused by a new coronavirus in China, with epidemics usually excluded from insurance cover, experts...

Coronavirus Update: Deaths Surpass 900; World Health Experts Head to Beijing

Feb 9 2020 // BEIJING, Feb 10 — An advance team of international experts led by the World Health Organization (WHO) has left for Beijing to help investigate China’s coronavirus epidemic, which authorities said on Monday had...

Coronavirus Hits Trade Fairs, Industry Conferences

Feb 7 2020 // Feb 7 (Reuters) – Over two dozen large trade fairs and industry conferences in China and overseas have been postponed or hit by travel curbs and concerns about the spread of a coronavirus, potentially disrupting...

Hong Kong Insurers Say Sales Have Fallen to ‘Almost Nothing’ Due to Coronavirus

Feb 6 2020 // For Hong Kong insurers, the coronavirus outbreak is a second blow. Already reeling from at-times violent demonstrations that slowed the flood of Chinese travelers — one of the biggest sources of new policyholders...

China’s Coronavirus Deaths, Infections Rise; Supply Chains, Production, Travel Disrupted

Feb 6 2020 // China’s fast-moving coronavirus spread among passengers of a quarantined Japanese cruise liner on Thursday and dragged down production at more global businesses, as scientists across the world searched for a...

Update: Airline Flight Cancellations Due to Coronavirus

Feb 4 2020 // Feb 4 – Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. Here is the latest on their plans (in alphabetical order): AIR CANADA Air Canada said on Jan. 28 it was canceling select...

Coronavirus Tests China’s Work-From-Home Capabilities

Feb 4 2020 // Thanks to the coronavirus outbreak, working from home is no longer a privilege, it’s a necessity. While factories, shops, hotels and restaurants are warning about plunging foot traffic that is transforming city...

Best’s See Limited Non-Life Insurance Losses in China From Coronavirus Epidemic

Feb 4 2020 // Rating firm AM Best said it expects that China’s non-life insurance market will experience limited losses from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The analysts based their outlook on factors including the central...

Factbox: How Companies Are Reacting to Coronavirus

Feb 3 2020 // Companies around the world have warned that a coronavirus outbreak in China could disrupt supply chains or hurt bottom lines as factories and shops shut and airlines suspend flights. FINANCIAL IMPACT: * Apple gave a...

As Economic Costs of Coronavirus Mount, China Accuses U.S. of Overreacting

Feb 3 2020 // The economic and diplomatic costs of China’s coronavirus epidemic mounted on Monday with investors knocking $400 billion off the value of stocks and the government accusing the United States of over-reacting to the...

Global Coronavirus Cases Soar to 10,000 as WHO Declares Health Emergency

Jan 31 2020 // The U.K. confirmed its first two cases of coronavirus on Friday, while the U.S. and Japan advised citizens to avoid traveling to China. Singapore suspended visas issued to Chinese citizens. Stocks fell in Europe and Asia...

Many Global Firms Face High Coronavirus Costs Due to Insurance Exclusions

Jan 29 2020 // Many global companies from hotels and airlines to industrial houses are expected to have to foot the bill for disruptions caused by a new coronavirus in China, with epidemics usually excluded from insurance cover, experts...