— As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the state of North Carolina had processed 139,280 new unemployment claims in about eight days, the vast majority of them due to the COVID-19 crisis.

With another 27,000 claims or so, the state will surpass the total claims filed in 2019.

If the current trend continues, that won't take much more than another day, and more state-mandated business closures are set for Wednesday evening. That's when Gov. Roy Cooper's latest order closing barber shops, hair and nail salons and entertainment venues takes effect.

Once filed and approved by the Division of Employment Security, people need to follow up with weekly certifications, answering a series of questions to keep receiving benefits. That can be done online or by calling 888-372-3453. State officials ask people who can file online to do so, as callers have reported long wait times.

The division is adding staff to handle the new volume. It's used to handling roughly 3,200 new filings a week, based on 2019 numbers.

ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT How to apply Provide your Social Security number, your work history, including how much you were making in your last job and why you are no longer working. The amount of your benefits is based on that information and is determined after you file. Apply for unemployment in NC You qualify if: you are temporarily laid off or had your hours cut because of the c oronavirus

your employer has gone out of business or has temporarily shut down operations

a medical professional has directed you to quarantine

Benefits are calculated based on a person's salary, and the maximum payout is $350 a week. The maximum duration for benefits at the moment is 12 weeks. That changes based on the state's unemployment rate, but the maximum duration is only recalculated based on that rate twice a year.

It's not due to be recalculated until July 1, which is more than 12 weeks away. It would take legislative action to change this, and the General Assembly is expected to go into session in the coming weeks to deal with a variety of COVID-19 issues.

House Speaker Tim Moore said Tuesday that it's too soon to say what changes the General Assembly will approve. A House task force on COVID-19 is expected to hold its first meeting Wednesday.

"We're going to look at every aspect of it," Moore, R-Cleveland, said of a possible benefits extension. "Right now, we just don't know."

The speaker said the fact that people who are self-employed aren't eligible for benefits is "a key problem."

"This is something that the task force is definitely looking at," he said.

The state unemployment system has some $3.8 billion on hand to pay benefits.