Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Michigan Governor Says She Has Authority for Virus Stay-Home Order
Nov 17 2020 // Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said on Nov. 16 she has the authority to issue a second stay-at-home order to curb the spiking coronavirus if necessary and called a comment by an adviser to President Donald Trump urging...
20 Farms in Washington Fined for Not Protecting Workers From COVID-19
Nov 17 2020 // Three Mid-Columbia farms are among those receiving the biggest fines in the state from the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries for serious violations of agriculture regulations to prevent the spread of the...
Is the Aviation Insurance Market Ready for a COVID-19 Vaccine?
Nov 17 2020 // As the development, and possible mass production, of COVID-19 (C-19) vaccines gather speed, the transportation and logistics industry will need to turn its attention to how the product can be safely and efficiently...
Federal Reserve Raises Questions Over Life Insurers’ Risk of Coronavirus Claims
Nov 17 2020 // U.S. life insurers face questions about their ability to cover a sudden rush of claims after the Federal Reserve highlighted liquidity and leverage risks in a report this week. Issues the Fed focused on are not new: Life...
Insurers Tell UK Supreme Court They Cannot Provide Unlimited Cover During Pandemic
Nov 16 2020 // Major insurance companies told the UK Supreme Court on Monday that thousands of small companies battered by the coronavirus pandemic were not eligible for business interruption payouts and to suggest differently was...
Medical Costs of COVID Patients 50% Higher Than Before Hospitalization: German Study
Nov 16 2020 // Medical costs of German COVID-19 patients who have left hospitals are on average 50% higher than before they were admitted, data from a major insurer showed, a sign that even those who have recovered struggle to regain...
McDonald’s Plans Safety Checks of All Restaurants as COVID Cases Surge
Nov 16 2020 // McDonald’s Corp. will inspect all its U.S. restaurants to ensure compliance with safety standards as coronavirus cases surge again and “COVID fatigue” sets in, according to an internal note seen by...
COVID-19 and Workers’ Comp a Moving Target, But Some Certainties Exist for Employers
Nov 16 2020 // This year could be the most controversial rate recommendation in the 107-year history of the California workers’ compensation system. Why? Because we are dealing with a virus we’ve never experienced before. The...
Senior Living in a Post-Pandemic World
Nov 16 2020 // Property/casualty insurance for senior living facilities has taken a hit this year. The insurance market has been hardening for the last year or two, and the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a wave of new challenges that has...
Insurers Face Workforce, Risk, Policy Challenges as Pandemic Continues
Nov 16 2020 // Given that business-as-usual is unlikely to return soon due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. property/casualty insurers will continue to face challenges related to virus-related insurance losses and premium volume...
Crisis Within a Crisis: How COVID-19 Is Driving the Opioid Epidemic
Nov 16 2020 // While the current national health conversation has largely centered on the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in more than 200,000 deaths in the U.S. alone and more than a million worldwide according to recent World...
25K Virus-Linked Claims Filed with Texas Workers’ Comp Carriers Through June 30
Nov 13 2020 // As of Sept. 27, workers’ compensation insurance carriers in Texas had reported more than 25,000 COVID-19 claims and 103 fatalities to the state’s regulators. The numbers cover virus-related claims reported to...
28 Election Employees in 1 Missouri County Test Positive for Virus
Nov 13 2020 // Twenty-eight employees of the election board in one of Missouri’s largest counties have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, and a director believes they most likely got infected from voters, though...
Italy’s UnipolSai Stays on Profit Track Despite Coronavirus Resurgence
Nov 13 2020 // UnipolSai, Italy’s second-largest insurer, confirmed its full-year targets on Friday after a 37.7% rise in nine-month earnings, despite an uncertain economic outlook caused by the resurgence of the COVID-19...
Professional Liability Underwriters Feeling Pressure From COVID: AM Best
Nov 13 2020 // The COVID-19 pandemic is creating varying levels of disruption for writers in the U.S. professional liability insurance market, with many expecting a sizable increase in claims, according to a new AM Best report. With its...
Louisiana Court Schedules Trial on First Coronavirus Business Interruption Lawsuit
Nov 12 2020 // A trial will begin Monday in what is thought to be the first lawsuit to be filed against an insurer for denying coverage for business-interruption losses caused by COVID-19 shutdown orders. Judge Paulette R. Irons ruled...
Meat Company Suing New Mexico to Remain Open After Virus Cases
Nov 12 2020 // A U.S. meat company that supplies Walmart and Costco is suing New Mexico to fight a state order that seeks to close a production facility where more than 100 workers have tested positive for COVID-19. The lawsuit from...
Zurich Insurance Reports Sales Growth, Higher Rates, Modest COVID-19 Claims
Nov 12 2020 // Zurich Insurance Group saw increased commercial lines insurance sales and a modest impact from COVID-19 related claims for the first nine months of the year, according to its third quarter report. Growth was supported by...
Pandemic Risks to Last for Months, Warns Swiss Financial Market Supervisor
Nov 12 2020 // Financial risks related to the coronavirus pandemic will last for months if not years, Switzerland’s financial market supervisor FINMA said on Wednesday, pointing to particularly heightened risk of defaults on...
Employers Facing Wave of Lawsuits by Parents Fired During Pandemic
Nov 12 2020 // Parents who’ve lost their jobs during the pandemic are driving a surge of litigation, alleging their employers discriminated against them for taking care of their kids when schools closed. Since March, working...
