Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Workers’ Compensation Rates Won’t Be Adjusted for Coronavirus Experience This Year
Jul 27 2020 // The workers’ compensation line is unlikely to generate a profit this year and may not recover in 2021, an insurance industry economist said during a webcast Thursday. Steven N. Weisbart, senior vice president and...
Hanna Pounds South Texas Coast Already Dealing With COVID Surge
Jul 26 2020 // Hurricane Hanna pummeled the south Texas coast on Saturday night with howling winds and a surging sea that threatened a broad area already contending with an intense spike in coronavirus deaths. Hanna is the first...
Geico Sued for Alleged ‘Woefully Inadequate’ Coronavirus Auto Insurance Discount
Jul 24 2020 // Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico, the country’s second largest auto insurer, is being targeted by a potential class action for allegedly overcharging its policyholders during the pandemic. A lawsuit filed in federal...
Anchorage Mayor Imposing New Restrictions Amid COVID-19 Cases
Jul 24 2020 // The mayor of Anchorage is limiting gathering sizes and the number of people allowed in bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in response to rising coronavirus cases. The order, by Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, takes effect...
Louisiana Governor Extends Mask Rule, Virus Restrictions to Aug. 7
Jul 23 2020 // Gov. John Bel Edwards has said that he’ll keep Louisiana’s mask mandate and business restrictions in place for at least two more weeks, as the number of coronavirus patients at hospitals surges in all regions...
Virus Outbreak at Iowa Pork Plant Was Larger than Reported by State
Jul 23 2020 // The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the...
Specialty Broker Offers Business Insurance Coverage for Pandemic, Epidemic Risks
Jul 23 2020 // A Boston-based national wholesale insurance broker is offering what it says is “among the first and most accessible” insurance policies for commercial risks arising from pandemics and epidemics. The policy,...
Asbestos Trial to Start With Social Distancing in Conference Center, Not Courthouse
Jul 23 2020 // A West Virginia judge urged parties in dozens of asbestos lawsuits to reach a settlement and avoid the “dreadful experience” of a live trial next week while the coronavirus pandemic rages on. Judge Ronald...
Lloyd’s Insurer Beazley Reports 1st Half Loss of $13.8M on Mounting COVID-19 Claims
Jul 23 2020 // British insurer Beazley swung to a loss for the first half on Thursday after setting aside $170 million for coronavirus-related claims, saying the fallout from the crisis would be similar to a major natural...
New Lloyd’s Syndicate-in-a-Box Created to Insure Transport of Future COVID-19 Vaccine
Jul 23 2020 // Lloyd’s, the specialist insurance and reinsurance market, announced the creation and in principle approval of its newest “syndicate-in-a-box,” Syndicate 1796,* set up to insure the storage and...
Travelers Reports Q2 Loss on Catastrophes, Investments; Only Modest COVID Impact
Jul 23 2020 // The Travelers Companies reported a net loss of $40 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, compared to net income of $557 million in the prior year quarter. The insurer said the difference was primarily due to higher...
Swiss Re to Report $1.1 Billion Loss During First Half on Hit from COVID-19
Jul 23 2020 // Reinsurance company Swiss Re said on Wednesday that claims and reserves of $2.5 billion related to COVID-19 will lead to a net first half loss of about $1.1 billion. The company, which reported the loss ahead of its...
Nashville Orders Restaurants to Close Earlier to Curb Virus
Jul 23 2020 // Nashville is barring restaurants from staying open late starting Friday in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Mayor John Cooper said Tuesday. In a virtual news conference, Cooper said an order will require...
Traffic Down 25%, Motor Vehicle Fatalities Down 8% in May During Lockdowns
Jul 23 2020 // Preliminary estimates indicate that deaths from motor vehicle accidents fell in May but the death rate per miles driven jumped considerably. According to the National Safety Council, it was the third month in a row when...
Vegas Casino Unions Drop MGM from COVID-10 Safety Suit
Jul 22 2020 // Unions representing 65,000 Las Vegas-area casino workers have dropped two MGM Resorts International properties from a lawsuit accusing companies of skimping on protective measures and putting employees at risk of illness...
QBE Expects H1 2020 Loss of US$750M on COVID-19, Natural Catastrophe Claims
Jul 22 2020 // QBE Insurance Group expects to report a first-half, after-tax loss of around $750 million, mainly due to COVID-19 claims and natural catastrophes, which included Australia’s bushfires and hailstorms at the beginning...
85 Crew Members on Alaskan Fishing Boat Infected with COVID
Jul 22 2020 // A factory fishing vessel that docked in the Alaska fishing port of Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands has 85 crew members infected on board with the coronavirus, officials said. The boat named the American Triumph has...
Coronavirus, Civil Riot, Investment Losses Take Bite Out of W.R. Berkley Q2 Profit
Jul 22 2020 // Larger investment losses and COVID-19 took a substantial bite out of W.R. Berkley’s 2019 second-quarter net income, but the specialty insurer and reinsurer still stayed in the black overall. Net income for the...
Ohio’s Wallace & Turner: Turning 150 During a Pandemic
Jul 22 2020 // What’s the secret of longevity for an insurance agency, or really any business, that has been in operation for 150 years and shows no sign of slowing down? “At the end of the day you take care of your...
Workers Turn Into Sleuths to Track Sicknesses Where Employers Keep Covid Data Secret
Jul 22 2020 // Jana Jumpp spends eight hours a day updating a spreadsheet — not for work, but a recent hobby: figuring out how many of Amazon’s 400,000 warehouse workers have fallen sick with the coronavirus. Amazon won’t...
