Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
El Paso Judge Imposes Curfew as Virus Cases Overwhelm Hospitals
Oct 27 2020 // Residents in the Texas border city of El Paso have been urged to stay home for two weeks as a spike in coronavirus cases overwhelms hospitals, prompting the state to dedicate part of the city’s civic center as a...
Pandemic Having LittIe Effect on Insurance Agency M&A Activity: OPTIS Partners
Oct 27 2020 // There were 170 announced insurance agency mergers and acquisitions during the third quarter of 2020 compared to 173 for the same period in 2019, according to a report from consulting firm OPTIS Partners. The Chicago-based...
COVID-19 Aid Deadline Extended for Louisiana Fisheries Following Storms
Oct 27 2020 // Damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta has prompted Louisiana to extend the deadline for fisheries’ workers and businesses to apply for help under a coronavirus pandemic program. Instead of ending on Oct. 26, the...
Lawsuit Filed Against Montana Nursing Home for Negligence in Virus Deaths
Oct 27 2020 // A long-term care facility in Montana has been sued after health officials said its staff was negligent and allowed the coronavirus to spread through the facility in Whitefish earlier this year. The lawsuit has been filed...
Texas’ Fairly Group Offering COVID-19 Insurance for College Sports Programs
Oct 26 2020 // Amarillo, Texas-based Fairly Group and its sister-company OccuNet have unveiled an insurance product that covers medical expenses for collegiate student athletes who contract COVID-19. Inspired by the viral #wewanttoplay...
Rhode Island Fines, Closes Four Bars Over Alleged COVID Violations
Oct 26 2020 // Rhode Island has fined and temporarily shut down four more bars over alleged violations of state rules meant to control the spread of the coronavirus, state health officials said Friday. State inspectors found various...
Insureds After COVID Premium Cuts Must Ask State Regulator First, Judge Rules
Oct 26 2020 // A federal judge has ruled that State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. does not have to return premiums to a small business customer because of the insured’s reduced business during the pandemic. The judge in Missouri found...
Report: Few Virus Cases in Working Age Californians Result in Comp Claims
Oct 23 2020 // Only one-in-14 COVID-19 cases involving working-age Californians from May through September of 2020 has been claimed as a job injury, while only 1-in-25 COVID-19 deaths among working age individuals has been claimed to be...
North Carolina Continues on Reopening Path Despite Rising Virus Numbers
Oct 23 2020 // North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that the state will keep its reopening guidelines in place for three more weeks, at a time when key coronavirus metrics worsen. Since Cooper increased mass indoor...
North Dakota Seeks to Use Coronavirus Aid for Fracking
Oct 23 2020 // North Dakota officials say they want to repurpose $16 million in federal coronavirus aid and spend it on grants to encourage fracking instead of using it to clean up abandoned oil well sites. Regulators have presented the...
Company Cites Pandemic in Delay of $9B Louisiana Construction Project
Oct 23 2020 // A company is citing the coronavirus pandemic for its decision to delay some work on a more than $9 billion construction project in Louisiana. Formosa Plastics affiliate FG LA LLC said it is deferring major construction on...
Insurer to Appeal Restaurants’ Win in North Carolina COVID Business Interruption Case
Oct 23 2020 // A judge in Durham County, North Carolina has handed down what may be the nation’s first dispositive ruling in favor of policyholders in a COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit. Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson...
Judge in North Carolina Favors Policyholders in COVID-19 Closure Lawsuit
Oct 23 2020 // A judge in Durham County, North Carolina has handed down what may be the nation’s first dispositive ruling in favor of policyholders in a COVID-19 business-interruption lawsuit. Superior Court Judge Orlando F. Hudson...
Auto Insurance Claims Satisfaction Continued to Rise During Pandemic
Oct 22 2020 // Having fewer auto insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic appears to have given insurers time to refine their customer experience and deliver higher higher quality claims service. According to the J.D. Power 2020...
Argo Group Estimates $71M in Catastrophe, COVID Losses During Third Quarter
Oct 22 2020 // Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. announced that its results for the third quarter of 2020 will be adversely affected by estimated losses of $71 million related to various natural catastrophe events and the continued...
Insurers Drop Appeal Against UK Court Ruling on 3 COVID Business Interruption Policies
Oct 22 2020 // Six insurers have decided not to appeal against a London High Court ruling that they were wrong to reject claims from holders of three business interruption insurance policies who have been pushed to the brink of collapse...
Munich Re Reports €800M of COVID-19-Related Losses During Q3
Oct 21 2020 // Munich Re reports approximately €800 million (US$935 million) in COVID-19-related losses in reinsurance during the third quarter. The losses were attributable to various business lines, such as insurance for major events...
Mexico Government Could Absorb Some Liabilities Arising from COVID-19 Vaccine
Oct 21 2020 // Mexico’s government could absorb some liabilities arising from unexpected side effects of COVID-19 vaccines but is not considering creating a fund to do so, a top official said. As various vaccine candidates make...
Nearly 50% of UK Firms Less Prepared for Brexit Because of Coronavirus: Survey
Oct 21 2020 // About half of UK firms are less prepared for Brexit compared to last year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, a sign of Britain’s vulnerability to disruption when it quits the European Union’s single...
After Helping Shepherd Pandemic Loans, Banks Now Brace for Regulatory Risks
Oct 21 2020 // Banks that facilitated the U.S. government’s Paycheck Protection Program at first saw the effort as a small revenue booster with a patriotic bonus, shepherding $525 billion in loans to businesses slammed by the...
