Top Story News

Lawmaker Details Federal Reinsurance for Pandemic Business Interruption, Event Losses

New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney has introduced the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020, a federal backstop for pandemic-related business interruption insurance modeled after the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. “This is the only bill I have written that people are …

Property Damage – Is It Because the Government Says It Is?

Property Damage: Is it “Property Damage” Just Because a Jurisdictional Order Uses the Term “Property Damage”? Some plaintiff attorneys are almost giddy over the fact that several jurisdictions used the term “property damage” in their respective emergency declarations to justify …

Times Square to Go Dark to Shine Light on Fight Over Business Interruption Insurance

The digital billboards in New York City’s famous Times Square will go dark tonight at 9 pm ET for one minute to dramatize the plight of restaurants, non-profits and retailers across the country that are suffering business losses due to …

What’s a Life Worth? America Weighs Costs, Benefits of Social Distancing

We are becoming a nation of amateur actuaries, calculating the risk of restarting our lives. Can we go outside? Can we go back to work? Can we go to a restaurant or bar? Can we go to the beach? Can …

Workers Worry Over Enforcement of Meatpacking Plant Safety Recommendations

Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees’ lives at risk. Extensive guidance issued last …

COVID-19 Contact Tracing Apps Proving Not Much of a Help Thus Far

Harnessing today’s technology to fight the coronavirus pandemic is turning out to be more complicated than it first appeared. The first U.S. states that rolled out smartphone apps for tracing the contacts of COVID-19 patients are dealing with technical glitches …

New York Dusts Off 1918 Pandemic Playbook For Help in Making Subway Safer

As in 1918, New York may use staggered work hours to keep subway safe As New York City makes plans to reopen in the coming months, officials are dusting off the playbook from the 1918 flu pandemic, when businesses were …

Roads Are Emptier But Riskier During Coronavirus Quarantine. Fatality Rate Up 14%.

As Americans have been driving less and covering fewer miles, the emptier roads have become more lethal. Preliminary data from the National Safety Council indicate a year-over-year 14% jump in fatality rates per miles driven in March, in spite of …

States Sharing of COVID-19 Patients’ Data With First Responders Sparks Privacy Concern

More than 11 million people have been tested in the U.S. for COVID-19, all with the assurance that their private medical information would remain protected and undisclosed. Yet, public officials in at least two-thirds of states are sharing the addresses …

OSHA Vows More Work Safety Inspections for Coronavirus as Businesses Reopen

The U.S. Labor Department will expand inspections of businesses to reduce job-site hazards related to the new coronavirus as employees begin returning to work across the country, although the policy falls short of demands by worker advocates. The revised policy, …