Does insurance cover COVID-19 sanitation costs?

Coverage Q&A: Many businesses are going above and beyond to clean and sanitize their premises to protect against the coronavirus.

A coronavirus molecule. (Courtesy photo from the CDC)

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Editor’s Note: Insurance is one of the best ways a business owner can transfer risk, but there are some risks for which insurance does not exist. The coronavirus is leading many policyholders to question the extent and adequacy of their coverages. In our question this week, this insured, like many others, is undergoing extensive cleaning above and beyond normal practices in an effort to protect their business and customers from this virus. Many have had to hire outside contractors to perform this service, adding costs to an already stressful time, emotionally and financially, as the virus continues to spread state by state, and many businesses are losing customers or unable to operate at full capacity due to lack of workers or supplies. 

Question: One of our insureds asked: “In the event that someone came into our office who was infected with the coronavirus, and we had to hire a company to perform an extensive cleanup, will the cleanup expense be covered under our insurance policy?”

— North Carolina Subscriber

Answer: To learn the answer to this week’s coverage Q&A, please log into your FC&S Expert Coverage Interpretation account.

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