Does my insurance cover being infected by COVID-19?

In limited circumstances, your travel and accident insurance may cover you if you are infected by COVID-19.  If you purchase the full cover policy, you would be covered for medical expenses for international travel.  However, with respect to medical expenses in relation to COVID-19, you must abide by the travel restrictions in place between borders of countries with respect to  “how”, “when” and “where” a person can travel. For example, if you travel in contravention of travel restrictions and contract COVID-19, the policy would not cover your COVID 19 medical expenses.  This is because it will be viewed that you have deliberately “courted” a known risk.  Other medical expenses not in relation to COVID-19 remain covered.

If you purchase a full cover policy, home country cover for medical expenses (accidents and sickness) is only provided as long as the medical expenses are incurred during the course of travel and competing for an insured event.  Coverage for such medical expenses always remains subject to policy limits and prevailing local health legislation. However, with respect to any specific coverage in relation to COVID-19 medical expenses, you must abide by any “intra-country” restrictions.  If you violate any intra-country COVID 19 travel restrictions and you subsequently contract COVID-19 the policy would not cover your COVID-19 medical expenses.  This is because you will be viewed as having deliberately “courted” a known risk.  The policy would most likely not cover you for contracting COVID-19 during the course of normal training for an event, particularly if you are just living and/or training within the bounds of their home residence.  If you traveled “within-country” to an area with no COVID-19 related travel restrictions, and you can prove on the balance of probabilities that this was the cause of your sickness, then you would be covered by the policy.  However, the onus would be on you to show that COVID-19 was contracted during the course of travel and not as a result of everyday life activities.