Insurance Blog: Viral Pandemic Coronavirus Insurance

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Viral Pandemic Coronavirus Insurance

small business closure pandemic coronavirus

All across the country non-essential business are shuttered because of Stay Home Stay Safe executive order to slow down the coronavirus crisis, and most small businesses are thinking of “Business Interruption Insurance” claim. This is insurance coverage that replaces business income lost in a disaster. However, according to a report from Washington Post majority of the businesses will be disappointed because of policy changes made after the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak. Insurance companies learned that the SARS outbreak which affected countries in Asia led to millions of dollars in business-interruption insurance claims.

Because of this event, many insurers added exclusions to standard commercial policies for losses caused by viruses or bacteria. Now is the time to review your policy. With this added policy language insurance companies may avoid billions of dollars in business interruption claims because of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to insurance companies, they are tightly regulated by state authorities and that the policy exclusions is very important to preserve their company given the overwhelming number of claims that can come from a single disease outbreak.

One of the hardest hit are the restaurants and bars since government officials across the country are ordering them to close except for takeout and delivery. The Federal government is thinking ways on how to help struggling small business owners, and want to tap a $300 billion in small business loans to employers with 500 employees or fewer. https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6812375-Treasury-Stage-3-Proposal.html

Actually struggling small businesses can take advantage of U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest disaster loans of up to $2 million for those who got impacted by COVID-19. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere; businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.

You can also take advantage of tax deferrals, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said that individuals and many small businesses will have until July 15 to pay the income tax they owe up to $1 million.