Latest COVID-19 Headlines

All the headlines from our COVID-19 Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Texas’ Bexar County Orders Face Mask Use to Fight COVID-19; Fines Possible

Jun 18 2020 // Officials in the San Antonio area have ordered people to wear face masks in public when social distancing isn’t possible and warned that businesses could face fines of up to $1,000 for failing to comply with county...

Sustainable Recovery Plan Pitching Pandemic as Opportunity to Grow Greener

Jun 18 2020 // Economic growth can be boosted, jobs can be saved or even created and greenhouse gas emissions can be cut if we take advantage of the worldwide changes that have occurred as we hunkered down in response to the COVID-19...

Markel International Exits Personal Accident, Contingency Insurance on COVID-19 Impact

Jun 18 2020 // Markel International, the London-based specialist insurer and division of Markel Corp., has announced its wholesale business will now focus solely on the entertainment book of business within its personal accident,...

U.S. Automakers Revving Up Production, Stressing Covid Safety at Work and Home

Jun 18 2020 // Automakers are speeding up U.S. assembly lines to meet recovering demand, increasingly confident coronavirus safety protocols are working to prevent outbreaks in their plants but wary of the challenges workers face...

Lloyd’s Insurers Get Ready to Re-Open in September After Coronavirus Lockdown

Jun 18 2020 // Clear screens on underwriting boxes, temperature-check thermal cameras and a click and collect take-away catering service are among changes Lloyd’s of London insurance workers will see when they return to the office...

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 church...

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)...