Latest COVID-19 Headlines
All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.
COVID-19 Keeps 100s Off the Job at South Dakota Smithfield Plant
Jun 18 2020 // Hundreds of workers are still absent from the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Sioux Falls because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to union leaders. AFL-CIO secretary treasurer BJ Motley says between 800 and 1,200 of...
Health Workers Processing Shock of Virus Fight, Uneasiness in Current Quiet
Jun 18 2020 // Outside a back door to a hospital where the coronavirus hit like a hurricane, a half-dozen staffers gathered recently to look back, and look inward. “I am still scared,” Dr. Gwen Hooley told her colleagues at...
Arkansas AG Sues TV Pastor Bakker over Virus Treatment Claims
Jun 17 2020 // Arkansas’ attorney general has sued Missouri-based TV pastor Jim Bakker over his promotion of a product falsely touted as a cure for the illness caused by the coronavirus. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed the...
Arkansas Governor Signs Orders Giving Businesses Virus Lawsuit Protections
Jun 17 2020 // Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson had granted businesses protections from coronavirus lawsuits, while the state’s epidemiologist said she’s concerned loosened restrictions may have caused some to lower their guard...
Georgia Senate Panel Wants Businesses Shielded from COVID-19 Suits
Jun 17 2020 // A Georgia Senate committee wants to protect businesses, governments, property owners and emergency personnel from being sued if someone claims they contracted COVID-19 because of them. The Senate Public Safety Committee...
Sailors Stranded by COVID Restrictions Could Refuse to Work, Causing Trade Disruption
Jun 17 2020 // Merchant ship crew members stranded at sea for months due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions could now start refusing to further extend their contracts and stop working, potentially disrupting global trade, the...
Investors’ Suit Alleges Firm Inflated Stock with Misleading Claims About Its Covid Test
Jun 17 2020 // An investor lawsuit against a Utah company alleges its principals falsely claimed its coronavirus diagnostic test was “100% accurate” and before doubts about the claim became widely reported, directors and...
UK Insurers Cite Swedish Example in Bid to Dodge Coronavirus Biz Income Payouts
Jun 17 2020 // Insurers are set to argue against paying out fully on claims made by businesses forced to shut because of the pandemic, saying that shops in Sweden lost money even without a strict lockdown. The strategy was raised at the...
Some Florida Bars, Restaurants Temporarily Close as Virus Cases Rise
Jun 16 2020 // Some Florida bars and restaurants are temporarily closing their doors after being back open for just a few weeks because workers or patrons have tested positive for the new coronavirus. The closures come as the number of...
California Has Now Recorded More Than 5,000 COVID-19 Deaths
Jun 16 2020 // California has recorded more than 5,000 COVID-19 deaths as cases continue to climb in several parts of the state. The state Department of Public Health reported 148,855 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 5,063 deaths...
No-Deal Brexit Would Deepen Economic Pain for UK’s Coronavirus-Hit Companies
Jun 16 2020 // Trade talks between the EU and UK have struggled in recent weeks, increasing the prospect that Britain departs the bloc without a deal and that businesses face an extreme shock when the divorce takes effect. It’s a...
Smart Cameras at Amazon Provide Real-Time Social Distancing Feedback to Employees
Jun 16 2020 // Amazon Inc. is pairing cameras with artificial intelligence to enforce social distancing among employees in its offices and warehouses. The system gives employees real time feedback on whether they are complying with the...
Swiss Re-Backed Nigerian Life Insurer Sees Sales Surge as Pandemic Starts Taking Hold
Jun 16 2020 // Nigeria’s biggest insurer is seeing more demand from the government and employers of health workers for life cover as the coronavirus pandemic starts taking hold in Africa’s most populous country. “Health...
National Guard Decontaminates West Virginia Church After COVID-19 Outbreak
Jun 16 2020 // A coronavirus outbreak at a West Virginia church has caused at least 17 virus cases, prompting the governor to call in the National Guard for decontamination work, state officials said Saturday. The Greenbrier County...
Amid COVID-19, Cyber Criminals Push Phishing, Ransomware Scams
Jun 16 2020 // There was a 25% spike in ransomware attacks in the first quarter of 2020 versus the fourth quarter 2019, based on incidents reported to in-house breach response team for insurer Beazley’s Breach Response (BBR)...
Hiscox Action Group Launches £40M Arbitration Claim for COVID Biz Interruption Dispute
Jun 15 2020 // The law firm that represents the Hiscox Action Group has commenced an arbitration against Hiscox Insurance for non-payment of business interruption insurance totaling £40 million ($50 million). The action group, composed...
Georgia Eases Virus Rules to Allow Sports, Conventions
Jun 15 2020 // Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is lifting more health-related restrictions that stemmed from COVID-19, allowing spectator sports and live performance venues to reopen and conventions to resume on July 1, subject to some...
Tennessee Senate Approves Coronavirus Liability Bill for Nursing Homes, Businesses
Jun 15 2020 // The Tennessee Senate advanced legislation Thursday that would provide nursing homes, grocery stores and other businesses sweeping protections from coronavirus lawsuits. The measure is similar to the growing trend going on...
Court Lockdowns From COVID-19 May Turn the Social Inflation Tide
Jun 15 2020 // Defense attorney Ellen Greiper reported receiving more than the usual number of phone calls from plaintiffs attorneys last month, suggesting that the call dynamics could be signaling a COVID-driven change in social...
How COVID-19 Will Change Insurance Sales
Jun 15 2020 // An agent who is a client of mine asked me, “Do you really think any business owner is truly happy with their agent or insurance company today?” Good question. Having to tell the public over and over and over,...
