Over the last several days and weeks we have been watching and learning about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and how it is affecting the world. We are gathering information to better understand how it affects our employees, customers, and communities and making adjustments to continue to serve you. We are working to make doing business with Rempel insurance as convenient as possible during these challenging times.
If you are unwell and cannot visit the office or if our office is closed, we will be available by telephone and email; see “Contact Us/The Team” info on website and below.
In office we have taken additional precautions to keep our area clean and our customers and team members safe, including frequent cleaning with alcohol-based cleansers.
To support a healthy body, it is important for everyone to get adequate sleep, eat a healthy diet, and wash your hands frequently with good old soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
If you have traveled outside of Canada within the last 14 days, please refrain from visiting our office. We are happy to assist you via telephone or email. Please contact one of our insurance specialists to assist you.
Other tips:
- Avoid touching your hands, eyes and face
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your sleeve or arm
- Reduce your attendance at large gatherings
- Minimize prolonged (more than 10 minutes), close (less than two meters/ six feet) contact between other individuals in public
- Avoid greetings that involve touching such as handshakes
- Follow public health advice related to self-monitoring and self-isolation if you have travelled or have been exposed to someone ill with the virus
- Stay home if you are ill
- Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19:
- Fever,
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Seek medical advice if you
- Develop system and/or
- Have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, live in or have recently travelled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.
- Call ahead to tell them about your recent travel and symptoms
- If you are concerned about potential exposure you can request to be tested at Access Winnipeg West 280 Booth St and Access Fort Garry 135 Plaza Dr.
Hygiene etiquette can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html
For up-to-date information, please reference the following Manitoba Government website for updated bulletin https://news.gov.mb.ca/news/
Travel Health and Travel Cancellation Insurance:
As the coronavirus in no longer considered an unknown, there have been amendments to trip cancellation coverage and travel health coverage. Please check with your insurer to find out what is and is not covered. Links to our travel insurance carriers, Manitoba Blue Cross and TUGO below.
https://www.mb.bluecross.ca/news#coronavirus
https://www.tugo.com/en/news-advisories/news/
For Business:
You are likely all aware of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) global outbreak and like us you may be wondering how this is going to affect your organization and employees. The question is do you have a contingency to deal with the unprecedented disruption that may be around the corner?
At Rempel Insurance we are busy developing a contingency plan. Along with passing along well-being tips for customers and employees, it is important for your business to have a plan.
Having a plan:
Customer Service: How will you continue to service your customers if you are shut down due to illness or civil authority?
Human Resources: Communicate honestly with your employees regarding your plan; can they work from home? Will they be paid if they are home ill or quarantined? Do they have a support system in place? Will employee benefits coverage help with stress relief or other needs?
Well-being: Sanitizing precautions, such as wiping high volume areas 3x/day and advising employees to wash their hands frequently.
Communication: Do you have a website or will you use social media to communicate with customers and the greater community? Do you have the ability/technology to work from home? How will you communicate with your customers and employees if you/they are not in the office?
It is recommended to discontinue non-essential work-related travel outside of Manitoba. Encourage phone and virtual meetings to reduce prolonged, close contact between individuals.
These are just a few things to consider in developing a plan. Although your plan will likely have to be adjusted day-by-day or hour-by-hour, having a plan will provide you with a template to face challenges as they arise.
Business Insurance FAQ
The outbreak of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) may have a significant economic impact for businesses. In China the authorities have shut down several businesses in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. Should this happen here, business closures and lost sales will have people wondering if they have coverage under their property policies.
The prompt for any property insurance policy, including Business Interruption coverage, to respond is physical damage to insured property by an insured peril, such as fire, wind, sewer back up, etc. While COVID-19 (Coronavirus) may be considered an unforeseen event, it is most likely not covered due to lack of physical damage by an insured peril; standard policy exclusions.
In respect to the application of the “Civil or Military Authority” clause, it is activated only by physical damage and a directive by a governmental authority that affects access to an insured’s premises.
Civil Authority is generally defined as:
“the actual loss, as insured hereunder, during the period of time, not exceeding two weeks, while access to the “premises” described in the Declaration Page(s) is prohibited by order of civil authority, but only when such order is given as a direct result of direct physical loss or direct physical damage to neighbouring premises by a peril insured against under this policy.”
As loss of income from COVID-19 (coronavirus) is not as a result of physical damage to physical assets, the Civil Authority clause is unlikely to respond.**
** Situations may vary depending on the jurisdiction and circumstances that exist for your operation and loss exposure; thus, coverage inquiries should be directed to your insurer to clarify wordings of your specific insurance policy.
Thank you for your business, and for placing your trust in Rempel Insurance.
We are here to support our customers, team members and community during these challenging times!
Take Care, from all of us at Rempel Insurance Brokers