As of Thursday, Milwaukee County has had more than 17,100 cases of COVID-19 and 374 deaths from the virus.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley says that while the greatest impact of COVID-19 is on human life, it’s also impacting finances. He says the impact of the coronavirus could total near $300 million in lost jobs, reopening costs and service needs.
The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is designed to help offset some of those financial losses.
Another $47 million in CARES money has been allocated to help Milwaukee County. That’s in addition to the previous $30 million given to the county starting in June.
The money will be used to cover the cost of personal protective equipment, enabling physical distancing for criminal justice facilities, along with job and housing stability efforts.
“Currently, cares funding provides a temporary stopgap measure to increase the immediate needs of the county and its residents,” says Crowley.
Another example of how the CARES Act is benefitting people is the additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits. Those additional dollars are set to expire on Saturday.
Data released on Monday shows that over 130,000 unique claimants filed between March 15 and July 18 are still waiting on a decision regarding their unemployment benefits. If approved, they would receive back-payment for the additional $600 per week.
Under the CARES Act, unemployment benefits were extended to those who were not eligible, such as self-employed and independent contractors. The CARES Act also extends unemployment benefits by at additional 13 weeks.
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