The $600 checks represent the first federal assistance many in WNC have received to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic since the first coronavirus relief package was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.
![U.S. Treasury check with $100 bills](https://mountainx.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1206563846-330x220.jpg)
The $600 checks represent the first federal assistance many in WNC have received to cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic since the first coronavirus relief package was signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.
“If anyone is still trying to receive benefits at this time, I strongly suggest you contact your state senator.”
Like most states, North Carolina was unprepared when unemployment claims skyrocketed as COVID-19 cases shut down large swaths of the state’s economy. When the crisis began, no benefits were available to those who didn’t previously work in a traditional job. That changed recently, so Xpress talked with locals who make their living in the gig economy about the experience of seeking newly available funds through the state Division of Employment Security. Spoiler alert: It hasn’t always gone smoothly.
N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper issued a March 17 executive order making it easier for people statewide who have lost their jobs in the wake of business closures related to the coronavirus epidemic to get unemployment benefits, but many workers will find the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow to be comparatively skimpy.