By Illinois Radio Network
SPRINGFIELD – More than 60,000 Illinoisans have applied for unemployment benefits in the past three days.
That’s according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
“Over the last three days (Monday-Wednesday), IDES has received over 64,000 unemployment benefit claims, as compared to the same three days during the corresponding week last year, when IDES received 6,074 unemployment benefit claims,” IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said.
On Monday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars closed to dine-in customers.
The layoffs are all in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, which has sickened hundreds in nearly two dozen counties in Illinois and killed one woman in Chicago.
The influx of unemployment applicants has created issues for those who aren’t able to get in touch with an employee of the IDES.
“There’s nothing I can do,” Springfield resident Jennifer Dorgan said. “When I go into the website and enter my information, it says it cannot validate who I am. I call and it says ‘experiencing high call volume, call back later’ and hangs up on you.”
Illinois’ restaurants, which can no longer offer dine-in service, have been quick to transition to take-out or delivery in an effort to keep payrolls afloat.
“Most are trying to keep their employees for a short period of time but it depends on the liquidity,” said Rob Karr, president of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association.
On Monday night, Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars closed to dine-in customers. The order was part of an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by a new coronavirus that has become a pandemic. State health officials have confirmed 288 cases in nearly two dozen counties in Illinois. A Chicago woman in her 60s with an underlying health condition was the first COVID-19-related death in the state. Worldwide, 230,055 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed and 9,358 have died as of noon Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
More unemployment claims are expected as businesses throughout the state close amid the pandemic. GM, Ford and Fiat-Chrysler announced they had come to an agreement to shut down all plants in North America through the end of the month.
In Illinois, the automotive industry employs more than 200,000 workers in various capacities. The industry contributes nearly $1.7 billion in state tax revenue, according to the Auto Alliance.
Illinois Radio Network can be reached at [email protected].
