Long lines for Florida's unemployment benefit forms

Pressure mounted on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday to make jobless benefits retroactive as state officials aim to sort out an unemployment system riddled with glitches.

Residents continued to have issues filing for benefits online, prompting hundreds to gather outside a library in the Miami suburb of Hialeah in hopes of getting paper forms.Many appeared to violate social distancing guidelines.

It remains unclear how quickly the state could begin issuing checks to hundreds of thousands of Floridians left without income because of stay-at-home orders and the economic downturn brought on by the virus outbreak.The state's total number of applications for unemployment since March 15 is quickly approaching 600,000.

Many continue to report problems with filing claims online or getting help on phone lines, despite assurances from the state that the system should now be able to handle the increased volume.

Florida officials said Monday its Department of Economic Opportunity, which processes Florida jobless claims, installed 72 new servers to handle the load.They also said a backup system was again functioning after officials discovered it was not online.But many reported continued problems.

DeSantis also announced Tuesday that FedEx stores statewide would begin passing out paper applications for those without computer access.They can be returned to the state for free.Meanwhile, congressional Democrats called on Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, to extend unemployment benefits beyond the current 12-week limit and raise the $275 per week cap, among the lowest in the country.

Florida's 12-week cap on benefits matches that of North Carolina's as the lowest number of weeks of eligibility in the nation.Only nine states offer fewer than 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.The vast majority of people recover.

(Image Credit: AP)