The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals released a series of four decisions regarding whether SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) caused direct physical loss or damage covered by a commercial insurance policy. In one opinion, the panel said the disease did not cause a direct impact on physical property because the virus “may be wiped off surfaces using ordinary cleaning materials, and it disintegrates on its own in a matter of days.” The four decisions included a dental practice, jewelry store, bar and restaurant, and hotels in Illinois and Texas. The ruling also addresses the business-interruption claims with a reminder that most courts interpret “loss of use of the property” to mean some type of physical damage or destruction of a property that the virus does not cause. Keep reading here and here for more information on these four decisions. 

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