Coronavirus Latest: More Than 45K Unemployment Claims Filed In Maryland Last Week; New Filing System Launches Friday
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- More than 45,000 unemployment claims were filed in Maryland last week, according to state officials.
That number is down from the previous week when more than 61,000 claims were filed.
The governor's spokesman Mike Ricci tweeted the new numbers Thursday morning.
With such an increase amid the coronavirus pandemic, the labor department has admittedly fallen behind but officials hope a new program will help them catch up.
On Thursday, desperate Marylanders showed up at the department's offices in person hoping for help. They were greeted by a locked door.
"My first thing was to file unemployment and I haven't heard anything since then," said Terry Turnbaulgh, who formerly worked for Baltimore Sound Stage.
He's one of the countless Marylanders who haven't been able to get through to the unemployment offices.
"The first week I didn't expect to hear anything," he said. "The second week I tried calling them and it went straight to a busy signal."
Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robinson said they're "overwhelmed" by the number of new claims coming in every day.
That led them to create a new portal for Marylanders to apply for all unemployment benefits in one place. Beginning Friday at 7 a.m., everyone will be able to file online at mdunemployment.com, including those who are self-employed, independent contractors, sole proprietors and those with insufficient work history.
"Those people previously had to call in and we know that there's frustration in trying to reach us," Robinson said.
In the coming days, the department is also launching a virtual agent and an online app that filers can use to get status updates about their applications.
On Twitter Thursday night, Ricci said the updates will be a "significant step forward."
One of those having trouble reaching the department is Vernon Johnson, who was a chef with Johns Hopkins. He told WJZ he's been trying to reach someone for weeks to no avail.
"I don't know if my unemployment is going to come in or not," he said. "Where am I going to get my answers from?"
Robinson said the volume of calls is also taking a toll on those answering the phones.
"I've been in those claim centers watching our claims takers get emotional as they're spending time with every single claimant," she said.
For now, though, Turnbaulgh remains unsure of what's coming next.
"I'm sad and I'm worried and I'm scared," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen next; I don't know where to go from here."
Here's a county-by-county breakdown of the 47,545 unemployment claims.
The highest number of claims were in Baltimore, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, followed by Anne Arundel County and Baltimore city.
UNEMPLOYMENT RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: Maryland To Launch New 'One-Stop' Unemployment Benefits Website On April 24
- How To File For Unemployment In Maryland
- Here's A New Email To Get Your Unemployment Questions Answered In Maryland
- Coronavirus Pandemic Leave You Unemployed? Here's How Marylanders Can Get Help
- Pratt Library Offering Online Job Search Help, Tutoring While Buildings Remain Closed
- While Some Businesses Are Closing, Others Need More Workers
- Amazon, Walmart Among Companies Hiring Temporary Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- Looking For A Job? Here Are Some Baltimore Businesses Hiring Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
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.
