DENVER | More than 46,000 people filed for initial unemployment benefits in Colorado last week as coronavirus-related job losses grew, bringing claims since the economic shutdown began to 127,393, the state labor department said Thursday.
Last week, Colorado paid $29.8 million in unemployment benefits, more than the average of $19 million paid out weekly during the height of the Great Recession.
At the same time, Colorado on Thursday marked 226 deaths attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. The daily state summary:
6,202 cases
1,221 hospitalized
56 counties
31,180 people tested
226 deaths
54 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities
In the greater Aurora region, Tri-County Health Department officials reported 1,637 cases, 610 of those in Aurora. Tri-County reported 55 deaths in Arapahoe, Adams and Douglas counties.
The most recently available industry-specific unemployment statistics show that hotels and restaurant workers have been hit hard. During the week of March 21, those workers accounted for over a quarter of applications for benefits.
The other four top fields were health care and social services — including dentist and chiropractor offices and daycare centers; personal services like nail and hair salons and barbers; arts, entertainment; and recreation and retail trade.
While many people were not able to file their applications initially because the state’s website was overwhelmed, those who have been able to file them still have to wait several weeks for their claims to be verified and to start receiving payments.
Jon “LJ” Vishnevsky, 32, was touring with the rock band Alter Bridge as a staff guitar tech until March, when he lost his job. Vishnevsky, of Denver, said he applied for unemployment on March 20 and as of Thursday was still waiting to learn if it would be approved. With his lease up, he had been staying with friends and has since gone to stay with his parents in Mesa, Arizona.
“I got lucky my lease was up, we got a tour in and I have some savings,” he said.
While gig and self-employed workers are eligible to collect unemployment payments under the federal $2.2 trillion economic rescue package, Colorado is still working to change its system to be able to evaluate and process those claims, which will be retroactive, after getting guidance from the federal government.
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment hopes to be able to start accepting those claims next week, spokeswoman Cher Haavind said. Nationally, more than one in 10 workers have lost their jobs in just the past three weeks.
In other developments:
Arapahoe County services are now closed to the public indefinitely as the COIVD-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the metro region.
Public closures in the county began March 17 and were originally slated to last until March 27. Now, it’s unclear when those buildings and physical locations will re-open, but a bevy of services are available online.
Adams County has an office closure in place until April 30. A bevy of services are also temporarily closed in Douglas County.
All three counties cover parts of the city of Aurora.
The state stay-at-home order is in place until at least April 26. Gov. Jared Polis extended that date last week.