Should the United Kingdom or other governments take similar action in the event that the pandemic escalates, companies may not be able to rely on their standard business interruption insurance policies, said Aon.

Traditionally those policies restrict cover to disruption caused only by physical damage or diseases that must be reported to authorities of which H1N1 is often not included and is subject to low limits, according to the brokerage.

Aon said it believes its coverage is the first available to all industry groups, rather than solely focusing on hospitals and the healthcare industry. Retail, transport and manufacturing are likely to be the most affected sectors as they rely on public access and staff on site, whereas most financial services employees, for example, are able to work from home.

Aon spokesperson said by e-mail that the firm is not identifying the underwriter for the new coverage at this time. The program is being launched in Europe with an eye to expand globally at some point, the spokesperson said. The product is available to all size businesses and can be adjusted to the client's preference on the deductibles and days of indemnity.

In a statement Matt Harvey, senior wordings technician/broker at Aon for United Kingdom/Europe, said with the winter season looming and fear of an H1N1 pandemic all businesses are working on continuity plans with the aim of identifying "everything that could go wrong and looking for ways to protect their business."

He continued, "Aon's new property insurance cover complements these continuity plans to help companies recover the fixed costs of running the business in face of lower revenues. The policy covers costs for additional expenses such as decontamination and additional staff to ensure a business is up and running again as soon as possible after an official closure is lifted."