Since the Corona 19 crisis began in earnest, as many as 350,000 people have applied for unemployment benefits in Nevada. It marks the fifth consecutive week that jobless applicants have broken new records, marking the highest figure in Nevada’s history. Las Vegas market research firm “Apply Annalis” estimated that the unemployment rate in Las Vegas would reach 25 percent. The figure is twice as high as the Great Depression, and the figure continues to rise. Jeremy Aguero, CEO of Applied Analysis, said it is “unprecedented from an analytical point of view” and that “there is no quasi-base on the current situation.”

Nevada pays unemployment benefits for 26 weeks, up to $469 per week. However, the recent surge in demand for unemployment benefits has paralyzed Internet sites that manage them, and delayed work. “We received 28,000 calls a day last month,” said Rosa Mendes, spokesman for Nevada’s Employment and Training Rehabilitation Bureau. “This is the first time in state history.” Complaints such as “the waiting time for phone calls alone was nine hours” are rising in various social networking services, while criticism is mounting that “the authorities focus only on those who are confirmed to be Corona 19 and don’t care about those who have no money to buy medicine because they lost their jobs.”

As the unemployment problem spreads out of control, the Las Vegas and Nevada governments are also agonizing. It would be nice to ease the evacuation of homes right away in consideration of deepening economic wrinkles, but there are also many counterargument that it could encourage the spread of Corona 19. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a broadcast interview last week that casino and other non-essential facilities should be reopened. Las Vegas hotels and casinos are also seeking to resume operations from the 15th of next month, offering heat tests on guests as an alternative. Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak, however, does not specifically mention the timing of easing the evacuation of homes, saying, “It is not yet time to resume operations.”