Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon Businesses Threatening to Sue Over Virus Restrictions
Sep 24 2020 // Several Oregon businesses have threatened a class action lawsuit against the state over COVID-19 restrictions implemented by Gov. Kate Brown to slow the pandemic. A lawyer representing the businesses argues that Oregon...
For Carnival Cruise Lines, 1920 ‘Death on the High Seas Act’ Curbs Coronavirus Damages
Sep 23 2020 // Carnival Corp. is poised to dramatically curb monetary damages for passengers killed by the coronavirus under the latest court decision to side with the company. If a ruling Monday by a Los Angeles federal judge is...
2 Reasons COVID-19 Legislation is the Wrong Solution
Sep 23 2020 // Back in March and April, I gave two webinars on COVID-19 for the Academy of Insurance. If you haven’t had a chance to take those, click here to get the Academy of Insurance COVID-19 related classes. One of the topics...
Confident Russia Vows to Shoulder Some of the Legal Liability of Its COVID-19 Vaccine
Sep 23 2020 // Russia is so confident in its COVID-19 vaccine that it will shoulder some of the legal liability should anything go wrong, rather than requiring buyers to take on the full risk, the head of the state fund bankrolling the...
USDA Plans $14B More in Virus Relief for Farmers
Sep 22 2020 // The federal government said on Sept. 18 that it will give farmers an additional $14 billion to compensate them for the difficulties they have experienced selling their crops, milk and meat because of the coronavirus...
More than 40% of Coronavirus Deaths in Nebraska at Nursing Homes
Sep 22 2020 // More than 40% of the deaths linked to the coronavirus in Nebraska have been at nursing homes, but the overall rate of deaths in the state’s nursing homes has remained relatively low compared with national figures. A...
Coronavirus Safety: U.S. Behind Global Rivals in Protecting Meat Plant Workers
Sep 22 2020 // The U.S. government is falling behind global rivals when it comes to protecting meatpacking workers from Covid-19 infections, even though the nation’s plants were among the first to confront rampant cases across...
COVID-19 Vaccine Makers Expect EU Liability Shield for Unexpected Side-Effects
Sep 22 2020 // Vaccine makers will be indemnified in Europe if their COVID-19 shots cause unexpected side-effects, an industry official said on Tuesday, as nearly 40 firms pursue talks on possible authorisation for shots in...
Insurance Advisory Organization’s Pandemic Endorsement Approved by 6 States
Sep 22 2020 // AAIS (the American Association of Insurance Services) has received approval from six state insurance departments for its health-emergency policy endorsement, clarifying coverage and cancellation provisions in the wake of...
Eateries Face Restrictions, Workers Return Home as England Faces Virus Resurgence
Sep 22 2020 // British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell people on Tuesday to work from home where possible and will curb timings for bars and restaurants to tackle a fast-spreading second coronavirus wave, but the opposition...
Business Income: When a Covered Cause of Loss Occurs During a Coronavirus Shut Down
Sep 21 2020 // To analyze the business income policy’s response to the crossover of an excluded event and a covered event, we begin with the Business Income Insuring Agreement found in Insurance Services Offices (ISO’s)...
California Governor Signs Workers’ Comp Law Protecting Workers from Virus
Sep 21 2020 // California companies must warn their workers of any potential exposure to the coronavirus and must pay their employees workers compensation benefits if they get sick with the disease under two laws that Gov. Gavin Newsom...
FCA to Insurer CEOs: Don’t Delay in Paying Valid COVID Business Interruption Claims
Sep 21 2020 // In a follow-up to the High Court’s ruling on coronavirus-related business interruption claims by businesses, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is advising insurers that they must pay all valid claims...
How Insurance Industry Might Respond if a Pandemic Is an Act of Terror
Sep 21 2020 // Imagine a scenario where COVID-19 was manufactured in a lab and was released as an act of terror. Tracey Gibbons, senior vice present, Underwriting, at Third Point Re, considers this possibility during a presentation for...
Startups Developing Technologies to Clean Air in Workplaces of Coronavirus
Sep 21 2020 // Smithfield Foods Inc. thought it was doing great. In the first quarter of this year, the pork giant’s earnings were up 190% over the same period in 2019. Then the pandemic hit, and the close quarters of meatpacking...
Reporting Who Gets It: Coworkers and Coronavirus
Sep 21 2020 // Does an employer have to say if a coworker has the virus? Employers are generally not required to tell workers when someone in the workplace has tested positive for the coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and...
Schools Find Lessons About Insurance Liability and COVID-19 Are Complicated
Sep 21 2020 // School officials and insurers across the country are facing questions about COVID-19-related insurance liability as classes begin, but answers remain elusive, according to A.M. Best. “Uncertainty about the plethora...
Agents Warned of ‘Creative’ Attorneys and COVID-19 Lawsuits
Sep 21 2020 // Agents and brokers should be on alert that plaintiffs’ attorneys in COVID-19 related business interruption claims lawsuits may be eyeing them as more cases against insurance companies begin to fail and claimants...
New Mexico Officials Say Teachers Are Safe from Legal Liability Amid Virus
Sep 21 2020 // New Mexico officials have clarified that teachers won’t be on the hook for lawsuits that might stem from COVID-19 outbreaks as in-person classes began for some students. “In no way will teachers or school...
Some Reinsurers Will Try Pandemic Exclusions for Casualty at Jan. 1 Renewals
Sep 18 2020 // Whether they are convinced that they absolutely need them or not, some reinsurers aim to try to put pandemic exclusions into casualty reinsurance contracts next year, a reinsurance broker representative revealed...
