Can Business Insurance Aid Employers During COVID-19? Read This!

There is no doubt that COVID-19 pandemic is increasingly becoming widespread today. Unfortunately, it’s not only raising fears about the health and security of the general public, but it’s also suspending business operations and making insurance exposures. As a matter of fact, this pandemic has already caused business interruptions, supply chain issues and crucial liability issues—all of which can allow policyholders up to claims.

This is why it’s important for various companies to understand how COVID-19 can influence their insurance policies, analyze their current coverage and identify what safety measures they need to take in order to govern their losses. So how can business insurance protect employers during this pandemic?

Understanding the Purpose of Insurance

A business owner faces different risks for his or her company every day. This is why insurance has the purpose to help protect your business from these risks. Business insurance can help shield your business’ financial assets, intellectual and physical property from:

Property Damage
Lawsuits
Theft
Vandalism
Loss of Income
Employee injuries and illnesses
Business Interruptions Insurance

Several business operations have already closed due to the pandemic fears, and there’s an evolving question of whether or not business interruption insurance can assist policyholders to make up for lost revenue.

Business interruption insurance can give coverage for income business would have received had it been operating normally in the event of a loss. It can also give aid for expenses like employee wages, rent, loan payments, taxes and relocation expenses.

Usually, business interruption insurance is generated by direct physical loss or damage. With this evaluation, pandemic diseases like COVID-19 can’t be considered as a covered loss. Nevertheless, a few justify that COVID-19 can contaminate physical objects like HVAC systems or assembly lines, which in the following would force businesses to stop operations. In these type of situations, business interruption insurance may still offer some protection. But insurers may disregards, making coverage unavailable.

With almost any loss, policy wording is carefully essential and could bring all the difference when it comes to responding to claims. Policyholders must review exclusions and endorsements together with a certified insurance broker to make sure they have the coverage they need.

Contingent Business Interruption Insurance (CBI)

Although business interruption insurance is a major part of risk management programs, it does not stretch out to disruptions to a third party. This is where contingent business interruption insurance plays an important role. CBI allows businesses divert the risk of certain losses to the property of a third party not like traditional business interruption insurance that pay back the policyholder for a loss following from damage to its own property. This type of insurance is an optional extension of business interruption insurance that recompense lost profits and extra expenses resulting from a suspension of business at the premises of a customer or supplier.

This kind of coverage is increasingly crucial as COVID-19 continues to impact the global economy. Even though a business is not situated in an area where COVID-19 has been discovered, aspects of their supply chain might be, resulting in potential interruptions. As a matter of fact, in China—where COVID-19 emerged—plenty of workers have been ordered to stay home, persuading some businesses that partner with these manufacturers also have to cease distribution. Although CBI could give coverage in this scenario, there are restrictions. With CBI, the covered third-party property may be particularly named, or the coverage may merely aid all customers and suppliers. Insurers are required to review policy language to make sure that their suppliers are included in the policy.

Common Liability Policies

COVID-19 takes up a number of liability worries, specifically if guests, customers or employees assert they became sick due to a business’s negligence. It’s necessary to get hold of the following insurance considerations into account regarding these concerns.

General Liability Insurance. Also known as general liability business insurance or business liability insurance, helps to protect your business from liability claims indicating:

Property damage
Bodily injury
Libel
Slander

When it comes to COVID-19, general liability policies must offer coverage and permits you to defend claims. You need to be aware that in order for your claim to be valid, you must allege that the virus was developed due to the insured’s negligence and detail when, where, and how you got ill—all of which could be hard to pin down.

Directors and Officers Liability Insurance. A specific coverage that cannot be provided by general business liability insurance. It protects the personal assets of corporate directors and officers against alleged claims from vendors, employees, investors, customers, competitors, or other parties, for unquestionable or alleged improper steps and behaviour in organizing a company.

Shareholders and other stakeholders can sue a business if they fail to respond properly to COVID-19 concerns. Particularly, stakeholders may affirm that management failed to generate enough contingency plans or detail how COVID-19 could influence the company’s financial performance. Although most D&O policies deny coverage for bodily injuries, it may provide some protection depending on the specific allegations. With this, it’s crucial for businesses to review the scope of their D&O policies to verify they are covered in the event of an incident.

Workers’ Compensation Insurance

If you’re an employee and you believe that you’ve contracted COVID-19 at work, a number of workers’ compensation considerations can be applied. But take note that when it comes to workplace illnesses, most state represents only pay out benefits if the disease in question is occupational in nature. This applies that communicable and contagious diseases are commonly excluded from workers’ compensation policies. But coverage may be triggered if the disease emerged due to or in course of the worker’s employment.