Coronavirus Impact: Nearly 85,000 Marylanders Filed For Unemployment Last Week
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- As national unemployment claims have jumped over three million to 6.6 million in one week, 84,230 unemployment claims were filed in the last week in Maryland- nearly twice as much as the week before.
More than 13,000 claims were filed in Baltimore County alone, 8,686 claims were from Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County took a hit as well- with 8,983 claims.
In the last month the state has cracked down on non-essential businesses. There were 42,334 claims for the week ending on March 21, up almost 1,000 percent from the week before when 3,852 claims were filed.
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There's a new way to file for unemployment in Maryland after the system was inundated with calls and emails over the last few weeks. The state is splitting up filing days depending on what letter your last name starts with.
- If your last name starts with A – F, file your claim on Monday.
- If your last name starts with G – N, file your claim on Tuesday.
- If your last name starts with O – Z, file your claim on Wednesday.
- Claim filing is open to all last names by phone on Thursday and Friday and online Thursday through Sunday.
Marylanders don't need to file within a week of unemployment and will be due all benefits from the day after they are laid off.
Maryland has topped 2,000 cases of the coronavirus, with 2,331 cases confirmed as of Thursday morning.
In a press conference on March 30, Hogan issued a "stay at home" order for the state to help slow the spread of coronavirus. Officials believe we could peak within the next two weeks and that the National Capital region will look much like New York.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
