North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper with members of his Coronavirus Task Force. | Courtesy Photo
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper with members of his Coronavirus Task Force. | Courtesy Photo
Roughly 270,000 workers in North Carolina filed for unemployment over the past two weeks, mostly related to COVID-19, Gov. Roy Cooper said on March 29, based on statistics from the North Carolina Division of Employment Security.
His comment comes as the state prepares for unemployment insurance applications via the federal CARES Act.
“Thousands of workers have lost jobs, but their bills don’t stop,” Cooper said in a March 29 statement. “My administration is working overtime to get unemployment checks out now. We’ll keep pushing every day for more state and federal help to save our workers and their families.”
Cooper signed an executive order on March 17 expanding eligibility for unemployment benefits to include workers who were furloughed, had their hours reduced, or those who are out of work because of coronavirus-related circumstances.
The order removed in-person applying, the one-week waiting period and the need to actively look for work to qualify for unemployment benefits.
The first payments for coronavirus-related claims will be sent this week.
In addition to expanding access to unemployment compensation, the state extended the tax filing deadline to July 15.
The extension applies to individuals, corporation and franchise taxes. While there are no penalties for filing and paying after the April 15
“Taxpayers need relief during this difficult time and my administration is bringing it,” Cooper said in a press release on March 20. “I will work with both Republicans and Democrats in the state Legislature to provide additional help.”
North Carolina is under a stay-at-home order to slow the spread of coronavirus. Residents should remain at home except for essential activities such as obtaining necessary supplies, seeking medical help, taking care of others, exercising outdoors, and commuting to work at authorized businesses.
According to the City of Concord’s website, Cabarrus County and local municipalities recently declared a state-of-emergency that provides access to additional resources for coronavirus preparation, response and recovery efforts.
Concord is taking precautionary measures at its airport to further stop the spread of coronavirus.
Passengers who arrive at Concord-Padgett Regional Airport will have their temperature taken with a no-touch forehead thermometer and will be directed to see their primary care physician if they exhibit coronavirus symptoms.
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