Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
UK Insurers Cite Swedish Example in Bid to Dodge Coronavirus Biz Income Payouts
Jun 17 2020 // Insurers are set to argue against paying out fully on claims made by businesses forced to shut because of the pandemic, saying that shops in Sweden lost money even without a strict lockdown. The strategy was raised at the...
Some Florida Bars, Restaurants Temporarily Close as Virus Cases Rise
Jun 16 2020 // Some Florida bars and restaurants are temporarily closing their doors after being back open for just a few weeks because workers or patrons have tested positive for the new coronavirus. The closures come as the number of...
California Has Now Recorded More Than 5,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Jun 16 2020 // California has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths as cases continue to climb in several parts of the state. The state Department of Public Health reported 148,855 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 5,063 deaths...
No-Deal Brexit Would Deepen Economic Pain for UK’s Coronavirus-Hit Companies
Jun 16 2020 // Trade talks between the EU and UK have struggled in recent weeks, increasing the prospect that Britain departs the bloc without a deal and that businesses face an extreme shock when the divorce takes effect. It’s a...
Smart Cameras at Amazon Provide Real-Time Social Distancing Feedback to Employees
Jun 16 2020 // Amazon Inc. is pairing cameras with artificial intelligence to enforce social distancing among employees in its offices and warehouses. The system gives employees real time feedback on whether they are complying with the...
Swiss Re-Backed Nigerian Life Insurer Sees Sales Surge as Pandemic Starts Taking Hold
Jun 16 2020 // Nigeria’s biggest insurer is seeing more demand from the government and employers of health workers for life cover as the coronavirus pandemic starts taking hold in Africa’s most populous country. “Health...
National Guard Decontaminates West Virginia Church After COVID-19 Outbreak
Jun 16 2020 // A coronavirus outbreak at a West Virginia church has caused at least 17 virus cases, prompting the governor to call in the National Guard for decontamination work, state officials said Saturday. The Greenbrier County...
Amid COVID-19, Cyber Criminals Push Phishing, Ransomware Scams
Jun 16 2020 // There was a 25% spike in ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2020 versus the fourth quarter 2019, based on incidents reported to in-house breach response team for insurer Beazley’s Breach Response (BBR)...
Hiscox Action Group Launches £40M Arbitration Claim for COVID Biz Interruption Dispute
Jun 15 2020 // The law firm that represents the Hiscox Action Group has commenced an arbitration against Hiscox Insurance for non-payment of business interruption insurance totaling £40 million ($50 million). The action group, composed...
Georgia Eases Virus Rules to Allow Sports, Conventions
Jun 15 2020 // Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is lifting more health-related restrictions that stemmed from COVID-19, allowing spectator sports and live performance venues to reopen and conventions to resume on July 1, subject to some...
Tennessee Senate Approves Coronavirus Liability Bill for Nursing Homes, Businesses
Jun 15 2020 // The Tennessee Senate advanced legislation Thursday that would provide nursing homes, grocery stores and other businesses sweeping protections from coronavirus lawsuits. The measure is similar to the growing trend going on...
Court Lockdowns From COVID-19 May Turn the Social Inflation Tide
Jun 15 2020 // Defense attorney Ellen Greiper reported receiving more than the usual number of phone calls from plaintiffs attorneys last month, suggesting that the call dynamics could be signaling a COVID-driven change in social...
How COVID-19 Will Change Insurance Sales
Jun 15 2020 // An agent who is a client of mine asked me, “Do you really think any business owner is truly happy with their agent or insurance company today?” Good question. Having to tell the public over and over and over,...
Building a Post-Pandemic Construction Market
Jun 15 2020 // The construction industry is one segment of the economy that could emerge from the pandemic stronger. That’s good news for construction insurance experts. But moving forward comes with a few challenges as contractors...
Survey: Florida Residents More Concerned for Hurricane Season Amid Pandemic
Jun 15 2020 // Florida has officially started hurricane season and a new survey shows a majority of residents are more concerned for this year’s potential storms than in previous years, given the simultaneous continuing issues...
Mississippi Establishes Small Business Website for Virus Relief Grants
Jun 15 2020 // Mississippi has established a website where owners of small businesses can soon start applying for grants funded by a federal coronavirus pandemic relief package, Gov. Tate Reeves said. The site –...
Nevada Property Manager Paying $300K in Virus Eviction Ban Lawsuit
Jun 15 2020 // A Nevada-based property management company that issued eviction notices to tenants in Tacoma during the coronavirus pandemic has agreed to pay nearly $350,000 to resolve a lawsuit filed by Washington state Attorney General...
Analysis: Casting Nervous Looks at COVID-19 Numbers as Texas Opens Up
Jun 12 2020 // Texas Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t predict that the number of COVID-19 cases would fall as the state allowed businesses and cultural centers to reopen. In fact, he said allowing more people back into public places could...
South Africa Regulator Probes Insurance Contracts Over Unpaid COVID-19 BI Claims
Jun 12 2020 // A South African regulator is studying insurance contracts after customers complained that claims related to the coronavirus were unfairly rejected. One outcome from the process could include an order from the Financial...
Some Question Insurers’ Estimates of Coronavirus Business Interruption Claims
Jun 12 2020 // U.S. property and casualty insurers have cast the coronavirus pandemic as an unprecedented event whose massive cost to small businesses they are neither able nor required to cover. The industry has warned it could cost...
