North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper says the first round of unemployment payments made as part of COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts will go out this week.
Gov. Cooper issued a statement March 30 that said the state has received approximately 270,000 claims in the past two weeks, most of them related to COVID-19. By comparison, the state received about 7,500 claims in the first two weeks of March. The federal aid would be an extra $600 a week, and it would last up to 13 weeks beyond when the state stops paying its regular benefits.
The federal emergency relief bill aimed at stemming economic damages from coronavirus, the CARES Act, provides an additional $600 per week in aid beyond the state-allotted $264 a week, with an extended term of up to 13 weeks longer than the standard nine weeks of payment provided by the state system. For the first time ever, the COVID-19 unemployment benefits apply to gig workers, freelancers and contractors, as well.
To find out more about unemployment benefits available to to those who are out of work due to the pandemic, or to learn how to apply, click here: here.
