Coronavirus In NY: 85,000 Make Unemployment Claims

More than 80,500 unemployment insurance claims were filed last week in New York, the state Department of Labor announced Thursday. Initial claims increased by a minimum of 284 percent over this time last year in each of New York’s 10 labor market regions, which include the Hudson Valley and Long Island.

The claims data is for the week ending March 21 – the first week in which claims were affected by the new coronavirus outbreak.

That's when a succession of orders from the state put drastic precautions in place to slow the spread of the highly contagious virus officially known as COVID-19. To reduce personal interactions, schools were closed, gatherings were canceled or postponed, and nonessential businesses were asked first to have 50 percent then 100 percent of their employees work from home. Only essential businesses are allowed to remain open with restrictions. Those are described here.

All residents have been asked to stay home, including children and teens not in school, unless they must get food, medical supplies, or are an essential employee that must work outside the home.

During the week from March 16-21, the labor department received more than 1.7 million phone calls and nearly 2.4 million web hits. On the site, there's a notice: "Due to enormous volume our systems are slow but we are serving each and every New Yorker. Please be patient."

New York is waiving the 7-day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to coronavirus closures or quarantines.

The department had to take steps to address the unprecedented increase in call volume and web traffic, including implementing a new, more efficient filing system based on the first letter of the applicant's last name (alphabetical order):

A - F : Monday
G – N : Tuesday
O – Z : Wednesday
Missed your day: Thursday through Saturday

The New York State Department of Labor is dedicated to ensuring that every New Yorker who is entitled to UI benefits will receive all benefits due. New Yorkers seeking to file UI claims can visit labor.ny.gov or call the Telephone Claim Center at 888-783-1370.

The federal government enacted the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which includes extended unemployment benefits. However, state officials said, New York has not qualified for these extended benefits at this time.

"We will continue to monitor the situation and leverage all federal resources to help New Yorkers survive the economic hardships associated with the novel coronavirus," they said on the website. "If New York State DOES qualify for the extended benefits, New Yorkers do NOT need to do anything new. We will post additional information here as it becomes available. Please do NOT call our unemployment hotline with questions about extended benefits — this helps us keep our phone lines available for your fellow New Yorkers who need to file new claims. Thank you for your understanding and patience."

New York's 10 labor market regions are: Capital Region, Central New York, Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, Long Island, Mohawk Valley, New York City, North Country, Southern Tier, and Western New York.

Coronavirus in New York and beyond

• LI Retirement Home: 13 Employees Test Positive For Coronavirus
• Coronavirus: Rockland Issues Isolation Order After 7 Deaths
• U.S. Coronavirus: Country Has The Most Confirmed Cases In World
  

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