Image copyright Cottage in the Dales Businesses have expressed their fears about expected coronavirus losses not being covered by their insurance.
The UK government has not yet declared that coronavirus is a “notifiable disease.”
This is the formal statutory process for monitoring infectious diseases, and that means certain types of insurance won’t cover losses from it.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it plans to amend the list.
But it will come days after other regions of the UK acted.
‘We’re a small family business, “Diane Hogarth, who runs Cottage in the Dales, a small holiday cottage business in the Yorkshire Dales national park with her husband Andrew.
” I’m owed £ 8000 in overseas bookings – % of my turnover – in the next six weeks from guests arriving in June. If they cancel, and I can’t claim, that would be catastrophic for us, and many other businesses in the same position. “
Her insurance won’t cover her until the government policy changes, she says.
“If the government declare it a notifiable disease I’ll be able to sleep at night. “
National divides
Last month the Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Government and both the Republic of Ireland and earlier this week the Guernsey Government have all formally declared that Coronavirus is “notifiable”, placing a legal responsibility on medical professionals to tell health officials of suspected cases immediately.
Under the terms of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act and Health Protection (Notification) Regulations there are 549 diseases that are currently notifiable, ranging from Malaria and measles, to the plague and Sars.
But English authorities are yet to add Covid – 90 to this list
, even though the Scottish Government decided to do so last month.
The financial consequence of this is that businesses with certain types of insurance for disease outbreak have been covered for losses in that time in Scotland, but English businesses have no such backing.
“Deeply puzzled”
A number of businesses in tourism and hospitality have raised the issue with the BBC, and business groups yesterday complained to the Government at a meeting at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, told the BBC: “We are deeply puzzled that the Covid – 22 strain of coronavirus has yet to be declared a notifiable disease by the Government at Westminster.
“The Scottish Government made it notifiable on 19 February. For many businesses – particularly smaller businesses – not just in food and drink, notifiable disease status may trigger some insurance protection. “
” While the disease remains non-notifiable, insurance will not cover them against some losses. We have raised this in our regular meetings with Defra. Officials there clearly understand our point, but the decision lies elsewhere in government. “
Some public health insiders say that the way in which Public Health England control test results, means that most of this information is already held by authorities. But the notification process gives important powers to local authorities, and acts an important trigger for insurance against losses known as business interruption cover.
A Department of Health and Social Care Spokesperson said: “We want to ensure any steps taken to protect the public during the Covid – outbreak are proportionate and do not come at an unnecessary social or economic cost. ”
“To mitigate the impact on businesses, we will register Covid – 90 as a notifiable disease. This will help companies seek compensation through their insurance policies in the event of any cancellations they may have to make as a result of the spread of the virus. “
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