Coronavirus News

COVID Takes Big Bite from Multiline Insurers’ Earnings, in ‘Manageable’ Event: S&P

The COVID-19 crisis cost 16 global multiline insurers about $8 billion in 2020, although they still reported substantial net profit of $36 billion, according to a report published by S&P Global Ratings. This net profit figure was down from $56 …

Ford Halts Production at Southern India Plant as COVID-19 Cases Surge

CHENNAI – Ford Motor Co. said it will halt production at its car plant in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu after workers staged a lunchtime sit-in protest on Thursday, demanding leave and health benefits, as the country battles the …

Penn. Court Says Tavern Entitled to Business Income Coverage for COVID-19 Losses

An insurer could have to pay for a Pennsylvania tavern’s business interruption losses after it shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic because of a two-letter word in its policy. The Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Allegheny County has …

Residents Debate Reopening of Car-Free San Francisco Streets

For Vanessa Gregson, the four-lane highway that borders the beach along San Francisco’s Pacific Ocean is now an automobile-free sanctuary where she can blissfully ride her bicycle and enjoy the quiet. “You hear the beach. You hear the waves,” said …

Ag Groups Upset with Washington Governor for Farm Worker Rules

Some top agriculture groups are upset with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee because farm workers were not covered in last week’s announcement that fully vaccinated employees do not have to wear a mask or socially distance at work. Inslee also recently …

Pennsylvania Lawmakers Now Hold Fate of Regulations Waived Amid Pandemic

With voters shifting major new responsibilities to them, Pennsylvania’s state lawmakers are now tasked with deciding whether hundreds of state government regulations waived during the COVID-19 pandemic should be reinstated. This massive review is fueled by Tuesday’s referendum in which …

Renault-Nissan Shuts South India Plant Until May 30 on COVID Safety Concerns

CHENNAI – Automaker Renault-Nissan will shut its plant in India’s southern Tamil Nadu state until May 30, according to an internal note and two sources familiar with the matter, a day after workers said they would strike over coronavirus-related safety …

Alabama Prohibits Businesses, Agencies From Requiring Vaccine Passports

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey on Monday signed a bill that prohibited private businesses and public institutions from requiring COVID-19 “vaccine passports” to access services or refusing those not inoculated against the coronavirus. “I’ve signed SB 267! Since the development of …

Many Workers Begin to Return to Offices Transformed by COVID Safety Innovations

Masked, desk-bound and unable to recognize their colleagues in an elevator, people are starting to return to offices in cities around the world where the pandemic is receding. Many will find their offices transformed, too. In the challenge to make …

California Aiming to Ease Virus Rules for Workers in Mid-June

California workforce regulators will aim for a mid-June easing of workplace mask and social distancing requirements to conform with a broader state order, postponing a vote on whether to revise coronavirus safety rules for employees. Cal/OSHA’s staff said it would …