The beginning of 2020 brought hope of good luck and peace for all… Until COVID-19 swept in and knocked us all off our feet. The disease that has killed thousands of people across the world, left millions without jobs, and has caused us all to take a hard look at our lives has rattled us to our core. We are all afraid of the unknown- as we should be. “Wash your hands,” “Stay home,” “No wait- go buy all the toilet paper,” “Never mind- don’t do that,” “Okay you can go out, but stay 6 feet away from each other.” “No, no, no, that was bad. Go back home.” “WEAR YOUR MASKS!” It’s no wonder no one knows what we’re doing anymore.
While everyone has their rights and reasoning for what they choose to do during this confusing time- we can also see how the world is coming together to adjust to this “new norm.”
With stay-at-home orders, homeschooling, personal birthday party parades, and drive-up church services and graduations- we are spending a lot more time in our homes and our cars these days. So we need to make sure that while we are busy protecting our families from disease, our homes and cars are also being protected in case of an accident.
That’s where Citizens Insurance comes in. We understand that this is a tough time for us all. With so many jobs being lost, people across the country are struggling to even put food on the table, let alone pay the many bills that continue to collect.
Ourselves and our carriers are working tirelessly to help our clients during this pandemic.
Germania Insurance, for example- gave $6 million back to its policyholders to help ease the burden. Germania President and CEO Paul Ehlert stated, “At Germania, we are committed to providing fair and honest service to our policyholders no matter the circumstances. The Reduced Driving Payback is our way of showing our support for your dedication to keeping you and your community safe during this challenging time.”
They provided a payment of $25 for each personal auto policy that was in effect as of March 31, 2020, and an additional $25 payment was provided for each personal auto policy that was effective as of April 30, 2020. This action was also continued for the month of May.
Other carriers have also put in efforts to help the community:
Progressive
In the beginning of the COVID pandemic- Progressive Insurance waived all late fees, paused collections, and held off on cancelling policies due to non-payment through May. They also have donated $8 million from the Progressive Foundation to charities focused on hunger, health, and homelessness, including Feeding America, the American Red Cross, and the National Alliance to End Homelessness.
Travelers
Travelers Insurance has given U.S. personal auto insurance customers a 15% credit on their April, May and June premiums. They are also taking extra safety measures to conduct business such as adjusting the claim inspection process to rely more heavily on state-of-the-art digital and virtual tools and conducting virtual premium audits. Travelers has also made donations during this time to assist in COVID relief efforts.
Allstate
As the COVID-19 crisis continues, Allstate is doing what they can to help our customers and communities cope as well. From paying back $1 billion to their customers through our Shelter-in-Place Payback, to contributing millions of dollars to a variety of community relief and recovery efforts, Allstate is committed to helping customers through this challenging time.
We at Citizens are working diligently to keep our employees and our clients safe. We are following guidelines from the CDC and state mandates, while also ensuring to provide hand sanitizer and maintaining safe cleaning practices in all of our locations. We wish good health and safety to everyone during this time, and we look forward to continuing to serve you for all of your insurance needs.