Covid-19 and Business Interruption Cover
The majority of insurers will not cover business interruption as a result of Coronavirus (Covid-19) whether the Government forces closure or not.
Those that do give cover will generally only cover losses due to a case of the disease occurring in an employee or customer that has been at their premises, and cover will only be the lost profits while the site is closed for cleaning - cleaning costs are also usually excluded.
A minority of insurers have a wording that states they will cover any infectious disease the authorities must be notified of, or specifically reference the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010. These regulations were updated by the Government on 6th March to include Covid-19, meaning that GPs must report all cases to Public Health England.
Most insurers exclude Covid-19 by stipulating they will cover the list of the diseases which before this month were listed on that legislation, as opposed to covering "diseases notifiable under the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010".
If you would like any more information or advice please feel free to get in contact on 01226 744716.
A statement on this from the Association of British Insurers is shown below.
