West Malling, U.K.-based startup battleface, an insurtech company backed by Fintech Ventures Fund, Greenlight Re and Tangiers Group, this month launched a COVID-19 travel insurance package, covering medical expenses resulting from the coronavirus for U.K. and EU citizens under 59 years of age. It includes countries the U.K. government advises its citizens to avoid unless the trip is deemed essential.

Why should we care?
COVID-19 insurance coverage has been a significant pain point for travelers since the beginning of the pandemic. The launch of the battleface COVID-19 travel health plan is one of the industry’s early responses to evolving needs of consumers who must make essential trips. Coverage of medical expenses resulting from exposure to the virus isn’t guaranteed by many large insurers, especially in cases where non-essential travel is discouraged in government advisories. According to Allianz, for example, medical claims due to COVID-19 aren’t generally covered, but the company currently has a temporary exception in place. Battleface, which uses an API-based platform, is working with Munich Re subsidiary Roanoke Travel Insurance to support an upcoming U.S. launch.