As much as 8 million Americans have received unemployment benefits amidst the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. This newly added benefit under the  CARES Act covers gig workers, independent contractors, self-employed persons, and others who had been ineligible for jobless pay. The newly added law is under program Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

$2.2 trillion coronavirus relief law enacted in March, known as the CARES Act, expanded unemployment benefits for jobless workers, who’ve filed for assistance in record numbers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Around 7.8 million people have been collectively benefited from the PUA program as of May 9, according to Labor Department data released recently.