Members of the Association of British Insurers (ABI) have confirmed that where office-based workers continue to work from home, or employees drive to their workplace rather than use public transport due to Covid-19, they won’t need to contact the provider to update or extend their cover.

Originally the pledge was due to be reviewed on 1 September but will be extended until 31 October, before being reviewed again.

Further, pet owners won’t invalidate their insurance if they’re unable to access vet services, with insurers pledging to be flexible on requirements relating to vaccination or health checks.

Here, the pledge from pet insurers will be reviewed on 31 September.

Mark Shepherd, ABI assistant director, head of general insurance policy, said: “Insurers are committed to helping customers throughout these challenging times. If you are an office-based worker who is working from home or an employee driving to your workplace because of the pandemic you are covered.

“The insurance industry plays a vital role as a final safety net for customers and the extension of these customer pledges demonstrates the industry’s commitment to supporting those impacted by the crisis.”

Other pledges by home and motor insurers include:

• Support for those who use their cars to help their communities: If you are using your own car for voluntary purposes to transport medicines or groceries to support others who are impacted by Covid-19, your cover will not be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover. This applies to all categories of NHS Volunteer Responders, including transporting patients, equipment, or other essential supplies.
• Support for key workers:If your work is critical to the national response to Covid-19 and you need to use your own car to drive to different locations for work purposes because of the impact of Covid-19, your cover will not be affected. You don’t need to contact your insurer to update your documents or extend your cover.