Many global firms, excluded from epidemic insurance, face heavy coronavirus costs

A man wearing a mask is pictured inside a shop at the Nanjing Road, in Shanghai, China January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song

LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Many global companies from hotels and airlines to industrial houses are expected to have to foot the bill for disruptions caused by a new coronavirus in China, with epidemics usually excluded from insurance cover, experts said.

With 132 deaths in China and new cases being reported around the world, companies are set to face billions of dollars in losses linked to events and travel cancellations and closure of businesses, they said.