Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Second Wave of Coronavirus Lockdowns Could Weaken Insurers’ Capital Buffers: S&P
Jul 14 2020 // Global insurers have proven resilient during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as their capital strength has helped stave off widespread downgrades; however, insurers’ capital buffers will erode through the...
W.R. Berkley Estimates $85 Million in Q2 COVID Catastrophe Losses
Jul 14 2020 // W.R. Berkley Corp. cautioned that its 2020 second quarter pretax catastrophe losses will reach $145 million, with more than half of that coming from COVID-19 related costs. Out of that total, $85 million stems from...
Travelers Expects Q2 Loss From Storms, Civil Unrest, Investments; Modest COVID Impact
Jul 14 2020 // In a preliminary look, The Travelers Companies said it expects to report a net loss for the second quarter, results that will reflect losses from storms, civil unrest and its non-fixed income investment portfolio. It also...
Crews Removing Capsized Cargo Ship in Georgia Sidelined by COVID Infections
Jul 14 2020 // Coronavirus infections among the salvage crew are delaying plans to cut apart and remove a hulking cargo ship that capsized off the coast of Georgia 10 months ago. Officials had hoped to start slicing the South Korean...
Fed Warns Climate, COVID Worsen Western States’ Economic Risk From Wildfires
Jul 14 2020 // Wildfires threaten the economy of the western United States to a greater extent than the rest of the country, and the coronavirus pandemic and climate change will only make that worse, according to research from the San...
Michigan Suit Says Insurer Owes Commercial Premium Refund Due to Virus
Jul 13 2020 // In a class action lawsuit, a Michigan restaurant and bar has challenged its insurer over commercial policy premium payments that covered the time it was forced to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit...
Newsom Rolls Back California’s COVID Openings, Orders Halt to Indoor Operations
Jul 13 2020 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday ordered the closure of indoor operations at gyms, hair salons, houses of worship, personal-care services, malls and non-critical office settings amid rising rates of people testing...
Florida Shatters Daily COVID Case Record as Disney Parks Reopen
Jul 13 2020 // Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll...
California Nursing Home Hit Hard by Coronavirus
Jul 13 2020 // A Northern California nursing home hit hard by a deadly coronavirus outbreak is a highly rated facility. But even with a good track record, it wasn’t prepared to combat the coronavirus when it arrived. At least 17...
Some Churches, Officials Struggle to Balance Right to Worship with Coronavirus Risk
Jul 13 2020 // Crowded bars and house parties have been identified as culprits in spreading the coronavirus. Meat packing plants, prisons and nursing homes are known hot spots. Then there’s the complicated case of America’s...
Global Insurance Premiums Set to Rebound in 2021 After COVID-Related Dip: Swiss Re
Jul 13 2020 // Though the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to lead to the deepest recession since the 1930s, global insurance premium volume will rebound to pre-crisis levels by the end of 2021, forecasts Swiss Re in its latest sigma...
Louisiana’s Small Business Covid-19 Recovery Program Site Now Operational
Jul 13 2020 // The website for Louisiana’s program to help small businesses that have suffered losses as a result of the coronavirus epidemic is now operational, the state’s treasury office reported. State Treasurer John M....
Essential Workers With COVID-19 Face Workers’ Compensation Uncertainty
Jul 13 2020 // Lauded for their service and hailed as everyday heroes, essential workers who get the coronavirus on the job have no guarantee in most states they’ll qualify for workers’ compensation to cover lost wages and...
HUB Employee in California Suing Firm for Discrimination During Pandemic Lockdown
Jul 10 2020 // A former insurance account executive in California has filed a lawsuit claiming she was fired from her job in retaliation for complaining about discrimination against her by a supervisor who didn’t like her caring...
Louisiana Governor Signs Law Protecting Schools from Most Virus Lawsuits
Jul 10 2020 // Louisiana’s K-12 schools and colleges will be shielded from most civil lawsuits if a student or teacher contracts the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus under a bill that Gov. John Bel Edwards signed into law...
University Researchers Claim Air Filter ‘Catches and Kills’ the Coronavirus
Jul 10 2020 // Researchers from the University of Houston, in collaboration with others, have designed a “catch and kill” air filter that they say can trap the virus responsible for COVID-19, killing it instantly. Zhifeng...
It Took Coronavirus Pandemic to Settle Bayer’s Roundup Suits: Viewpoint
Jul 10 2020 // In late June, Bayer AG agreed to pay $9.5 billion to settle about 100,000 lawsuits that accused Roundup, the popular herbicide it acquired when it bought Monsanto in 2018, of causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The settlement...
South Africa Regulator Warns Insurers to Stop Broad Rejection of Virus Claims
Jul 10 2020 // A South African regulator warned insurers to stop broadly rejecting claims from businesses seeking to cover losses because of a lockdown to curb the coronavirus. “The Financial Sector Conduct Authority is concerned...
Nashville Bars Seek Restraining Order Over Coronavirus Restrictions
Jul 10 2020 // Some Nashville bar owners are seeking a temporary restraining order against city officials in an effort to push back against coronavirus restrictions. Bar owners Timothy Stephen Smith and Geoffrey Reid filed the lawsuit...
Coronavirus Crisis Heightens Insurers’ Caution About Senior Care Market
Jul 10 2020 // The coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder for senior-care centers in the United States to find or afford standard liability insurance, with rates soaring by as much as 300%, insurance brokers said. Residential care...
