Business interruption insurance

RobRiding

I run a small business, and it appears in my business insurance cover I have cover for Viruses, with a list of accepted viruses ( including SARS), I have enquired with my insurance company and they say as Covid-19 is not on the list, there is no cover, my question is, as my policy was taken out in SEPT 19, covid-19 didn't exist, so it wont be on their list, so whats peoples thought on them paying / Not paying if its classified as a strain of SARS 

m_i_k_e

I think the insurance companies are going to try and find any way to avoid paying out on the BI policies. You might be lucky if there is a reclassification. But they won't have underwritten this level of risk so will find any way to avoid paying out. My BI policy doesn't actually specify the diseases - it states "any disease", but they're still trying to find a way of avoiding paying out and now saying that we actually need an occurrence of the disease on site. So, although we have a notice from the Council saying we should stay shut until the government restrictions are lifted, the insurer is now applying an alternative level of interpretation to their policy when, to my mind, it is completely unambiguous when read as written and our claim should be supported.

We won't be alone in this and the government should really be doing something to help businesses who have this "stay closed" imposition and ensure that the insurers pay out appropriately.

It would be great to pool resources and get some legal advice on the matter. Or maybe MSE can champion this for us?