Unemployment Filings Soar In New Jersey As Restaurant Owner Wonders Why ‘Little Guys Were Left Out’ Of Federal Relief

Cleve Bryan reports.

WILL BE ONE OF THE LAST PLACETOSS REOPEN.REPORTER: NATASHA BROWN FORCBS-3 "EYEWITNESS NEWS".WE HAVE LEARN NEW JERSEYIS APPROACHING A GRIMMILESTONE IN THE PANDEMIC THATCOMES AS MORE WORKERS ARELOSING THEIR JOBS IN THEGARDEN STATE."EYEWITNESS NEWS" REPORTERCLEVE BRYAN IS IN WASHINGTONTOWNSHIP EXAMINING ACTIONSGOVERNOR MURPHY IS TAKING,CLEVE.REPORTER: UKEE, JOB LESSCLAIMS AS WELL AS THE NEWCASES OF COVID-19 INCREASESINGBY THE THOUSANDS DAILY HERE INNEW JERSEY.WE SHOULD CARRY EXPECTATIONTHAT TOMORROW WE WILL EXCEED100,000 TOTAL POSITIVE CASES.REPORTER: A ONCE NOINGANOTHER 4200 NEW CASES AND 300DEATHS FROM COVID-19, NEWJERSEY GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHYSAYS THAT THE STATE IS ATLEAST SEVERAL WEEKS FROMRELAXING SOCIAL DISTANCINGRULES AND REOPENING THEECONOMY.THIS AS NEW JOBLESS FIGURESSHOW UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OFPEOPLE ARE STILL FILING FORUNEMPLOYMENT.DEPARTMENT OF THE LABORREPORTS AN ADDITIONAL 140,000PEOPLE FILED FOR UNEMPLOYMENTIN NEW JERSEY LAST WEEK ANDABOUT FOUR AND A HALF MILLIONNATIONALLY.IN THE LAST FIVE WEEKS MORETHAN 858,000 NEW JERSIANS AND26 MILLION AMERICANS HAVEFILED FOR UNEMPLOYMENTBENEFITS.THE DEPARTMENT CONTINUES TODO EVERYTHING IT CAN TOSTREAMLINE PROCESSES, ANDENSURE ALL CLAIMS ARE HANDLEDQUICKLY.REPORTER: MURPHY SAYS NEWJERSIANS HAVE RECEIVED MORETHAN A BILLION DOLLARS INUNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS DURINGTHE PANDEMIC.THOSE LAID OFF INCLUDE MOST OFTHE STAFF AT FRANKLIN'SRESTAURANT IN COLLINSWOOD, NEWJERSEY.FOR THE MOST PART MY GUYSUNDERSTOOD.WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER,IT IS OUT OF OUR HAND.REPORTER: WHILE RESTAURANTDOES TAKE OUT TO PAY THEBILLS, REOPENING COULD BEDIFFICULT WITHOUT HELP FROMTHE NEXT ROUND OF THE FEDERALPAYCHECK PROTECTION PLAN FORBUSINESSES.SOME OF THE LITTLE GUYSWERE LEFT OUT.IT SEEMED LIKE FIRST WAVES OFFUND WENT FOR BIG RESTAURANTCHAINS REPORT RAILROAD NEWJERSEY OFFICIALS SAY THEYCONTINUE TO GET A HIGH VOLUMEOF THE CALLS, FROM EMPLOYERS,AND EMPLOYEES TRYING TO FINDOUT ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENTBENEFITS, AND THEY SAY GO ONLINE TO COVID NJ -- I'M SORRYCOVID-19.NJ.GOV AND, OF COURSE