Context
The pledges made by members of the ABI to support both those working from home due to the pandemic and drivers have been extended until 31 December 2020.
During June nearly half of people in employment were working at least in part from their home (Office of National Statistics) and in April over 750,000 people signed up to be NHS volunteers in some way (NHS England); this continued extra support could therefore be of significant help to many of the UK’s home and motor insurance customers.
Key points to note
- Support for those who need to make a claim – Insurers have implemented business continuity plans and are working closely with service providers to do everything possible in these challenging circumstances to continue to handle claims and support their customers. It is recognised there will be many customers who will need additional support and insurers will prioritise those in vulnerable circumstances.
- Support for those who are working from home – For office-based workers who are working from home as a result of the pandemic, their home insurance cover will not be affected and there is no need for them to contact the insurer to update documents or extend cover.
- Support for those who cannot work from home – If a customer has to drive to their workplace because of the impact of Covid-19, their insurance policy will not be affected, there is no need for them to contact the insurer to update documents or extend cover.
- Support for those who use their cars to help their communities – If a customer is using their own car for voluntary purposes to transport medicines or groceries to support others who are impacted by Covid-19, their cover will not be affected and there is no need for them to contact the insurer to update documents or extend cover. This applies to all categories of NHS Volunteer Responders, including transporting patients, equipment, or other essential supplies.
- Support for our key workers – If a customer’s work is critical to the national response to Covid-19 and they need to use their own car to drive to different locations for work purposes because of the impact of Covid-19, their cover will not be affected and there is no need for them to contact the insurer to update documents or extend cover.