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500,000 Canadians Applied for Employment Insurance This Week

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About half a million Canadians have applied for Employment Insurance (EI) this week, compared to 27,000 people who applied at this time in 2019.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement, Friday morning, from Ottawa.

This comes as businesses nation-wide are closing its doors to help curb the spread of COVID-19. But that ultimately means people are being laid off from work or are getting sick from the virus themselves.

RELATED: Air Canada Lays off More than 5,000 Employees Amid Pandemic

Luckily, Trudeau announced earlier this week that the federal government is spending $82 billion to help aid Canadians during this time.

That means Canadians will get more funds on EI, while others who don’t qualify will receive a similar fund.

The government is waiving the one-week waiting period for those who have been told to self-isolate or quarantine.

Applicants usually need a medical certificate as well as records of employment. But with the new rules, quarantined workers don’t need to supply a medical certificate.

The government recommends you apply as soon as possible, but if you are too sick, they may provide you with back-pay.

If approved, the maximum you’ll receive is $573 a week.

If you don’t apply for Employment Insurance, you can get the Emergency Care Benefit or the Emergency Support Benefit.

This provides up to $900 every two weeks for up to 15 weeks, for those affected by COVID-19.

For more stories, check out our News section.

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