(Adds comments from websites, Aviva spokesman)
LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - British insurers Admiral
, Aviva and Direct Line are no longer
offering travel insurance to new customers, they said on their
websites on Friday.
"The ongoing global situation with coronavirus means there’s
much greater likelihood of disruption to people’s travel plans,
so we’ve decided to focus our attention on our existing
customers," Aviva said.
The decision took effect from 1500 GMT on Friday, an Aviva
spokesman said in an emailed statement.
Aviva said last week it had paid out around 500,000 pounds
($618,200.00) in travel insurance claims related to coronavirus
and the pandemic "presents a new uncertainty in 2020".
Admiral and Direct Line also said the impact of coronavirus
around the world meant they had decided to temporarily suspend
the sale of travel insurance to new customers.
British insurer LV=, owned by German insurer Allianz
, said earlier this week it would "pause" the sale of
travel insurance to new customers.
Several governments, including the United States, have this
week banned visitors from other countries as they battle the
spread of the virus.
($1 = 0.8088 pounds)
(Reporting by Carolyn Cohn
Editing by Rachel Armstrong and Jane Merriman)