New endorsements seek to help businesses respond to government actions to control Ebola spread

ISO, a Verisk Analytics business, has announced the availability of two new coverage options designed to help businesses in the event that government authorities take steps to control the spread of Ebola.

The first endorsement offers coverage for the loss of income a business faces when it follows orders to close during an Ebola outbreak; the second endorsement responds if the government suspends public bus, rail, or ferry lines, notes a statement from ISO, which serves insurers, reinsurers, agents and brokers, insurance regulators, risk managers and other participants in the property/casualty insurance marketplace.

The optional endorsements – available to insurers participating in ISO’s commercial property program are subject to an annual aggregate – and can also provide coverage when an order to close disrupts a company’s supply chain, the company reports.

As the Ebola situation evolves both here and abroad, ISO is making forms available for review now, notes the statement. Insurers who choose to offer the endorsements in the admitted market will need to make appropriate regulatory filings on their own.

“An Ebola outbreak could push authorities to make difficult decisions to keep people safe,” says Beth Fitzgerald, president of ISO Insurance Programs and Analytic Services. “These optional endorsements could help businesses financially if authorities were to order them to close,” Fitzgerald adds.