Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Many Insurance Policies Bought by Small UK Firms Don’t Cover Pandemic: Regulator
Apr 15 2020 // Most insurance policies bought by smaller UK companies do not cover disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but those that do should make interim pay-outs quickly, a watchdog said on Wednesday, as insurers come...
OSHA Inspectors to Prioritize Health Facilities Over Other Sites During Coronavirus Crisis
Apr 15 2020 // The U.S. agency that enforces workplace safety laws has said it will prioritize work site inspections of healthcare facilities over other “essential” businesses that remain open during the coronavirus...
QBE Insurance Plans US$825M Capital Raise on COVID-19 Economic Uncertainties
Apr 15 2020 // QBE Insurance is planning to raise about US$825 million in capital as a result of the economic and investment market uncertainty created by the coronavirus crisis. The company will raise approximately $750 million of...
Europe Needs Its Own Approach to Coronavirus Tracing, Say German Tech Startups
Apr 15 2020 // Europe should not cede its sovereignty to Silicon Valley when it comes to using technology to help trace those at risk of coronavirus infection, the German developers of a smartphone app said on Tuesday. Apple and Google...
Iowa Beef Plant Suspends Operations Due to Worker Virus Infections
Apr 15 2020 // A beef processing plant in one of Iowa’s coronavirus hot spots has suspended production after several workers have become infected. National Beef announced that its Iowa Premium plant in Tama will be idled until...
North Carolina Creates Process for Insurers to Legally Offer Pandemic Premium Relief
Apr 15 2020 // The North Carolina Department of Insurance says it is working with insurers to allow them to offer financial relief to policyholders without filing for department approval or risking violating state law during the current...
Preventing Losses Due to Growing Cyber Crime During the Coronavirus Crisis
Apr 15 2020 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv The insurance industry needs to spend time educating clients on how to best protect themselves as cyber criminals continue to capitalize on new vulnerabilities in the wake of the COVID-19...
How Insurance Claims Pros Are Adjusting to Pandemic Complications
Apr 15 2020 // The coronavirus pandemic has not shut down the day-to-day business of adjusting claims, but the workload is lighter and claims managers are coping with evolving government regulations and guidelines. Crawford & Co....
Meat Plant Closures, Absenteeism Rise With Workers’ Fear of Coronavirus, Lack of Safety
Apr 15 2020 // CHICAGO/WINNIPEG, Manitoba — At a Wayne Farms chicken processing plant in Alabama, workers recently had to pay the company 10 cents a day to buy masks to protect themselves from the new coronavirus, according to a meat...
California Tells Insurers to Investigate All COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims
Apr 14 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Tuesday issued a notice requiring insurance companies and other California Department of Insurance licensees to comply with their obligations to fairly investigate all...
Smithfield’s South Dakota Pork Plant Closed After 100s Test Positive for Virus
Apr 14 2020 // Virginia-based Smithfield Foods announced Sunday that it is closing its pork processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, until further notice after hundreds of employees tested positive for the coronavirus — a step...
Trump Tells Insurers to Pay Virus Claims If Pandemics Not Excluded
Apr 14 2020 // President Donald Trump has staked out his position in a legal battle over business-interruption claims: Unless the policy excludes pandemics, insurers should pay. Trump spoke about the issue for a minute and a half during...
What if California Faces a Disaster During The Pandemic?
Apr 14 2020 // California has evacuation plans for earthquakes, floods, mudslides and, of course, wildfires, but what if one of those disasters occurs as the state is dealing with the coronavirus outbreak when everyone is being urged to...
Suddenly There Is Big Demand for Pandemic Cover, Says Underwriter
Apr 14 2020 // In the midst of this pandemic, insurance buyers and their brokers are looking for COVID-19 pandemic coverage, which is like buying property insurance when your house is on fire, according to Tracey Gibbons, senior vice...
Officials: Health Care Workers Account for 15% of Alabama Virus Cases
Apr 14 2020 // More than 450 health care workers in Alabama had been infected with COVID-19 as the total cases in the state neared 3,000, the Alabama Department of Public Health said Friday. The Alabama Department of Public Health said...
Mississippi Doctor Claims Voicing Virus Concerns Led to Firing in Lawsuit
Apr 14 2020 // A Mississippi doctor who was fired after raising concerns about her hospital’s safety measures in the coronavirus pandemic is now suing. News outlets reported Dr. Samantha Houston was fired from Oxford’s...
Warehouse Workers Risk COVID-19 Shipping Knick-Knacks, Luxury Goods
Apr 14 2020 // As U.S. authorities ordered shutdowns of non-essential businesses to fight coronavirus, retailer Nordstrom Inc. closed hundreds of stores and gave in-store workers three weeks’ pay, calling their safety its top...
California State Fund Pledging $50M for Essential Workers During COVID-19 Crisis
Apr 13 2020 // California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund announced on Monday that it will establish two new funds to support the health and recovery of essential workers and workplace safety during the COVID-19 crisis. The...
More Coronavirus Deaths Spur New North Carolina Nursing Home Directives
Apr 13 2020 // North Carolina health officials ordered new resident and employee protections in the state’s nursing homes and similar settings last week after the new coronavirus further penetrated those facilities, leading to more...
Wimbledon Shows How Pandemic Insurance Could Become Vital for Sports, Other Events
Apr 13 2020 // The Wimbledon tennis tournament had the foresight to buy around £1.5 million (US$1.9 million) per year in pandemic insurance following the SARS outbreak in 2003, said GlobalData in a recent bulletin. Paying out roughly...