Cold comfort for businesses on insurance and Covid-19

Most policies don’t include pandemics, so the government may be forced to step into the breach to share the burden, experts say

The Temple Bar pub in Dublin, deserted on a normally bustling St Patrick’s Day, due to the coronavir us pandemic Picture: PA

Last Tuesday, British chancellor Rishi Sunak moved to reassure businesses closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak that his government had stepped in to ensure their policies would pay out.

“Let me confirm that, for those businesses which do have a policy that covers pandemics, the government’s action is sufficient and will allow businesses to make an insurance claim against their policy,” Sunak said.

His intervention was designed to comfort those business owners whose policies would ...