NEW YORK — After a nightmarish few weeks for thousands of New Yorkers attempting to apply for unemployment benefits amid the new coronavirus crisis, the state Department of Labor says it is launching a new unemployment application that won't require applicants to call a number and sit on hold for eternity.

The online application will be offline from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday as the new "streamlined" application is rolled out.

Applicants will no longer be required to call the Department of Labor. Instead, call center staff will call applicants within 72 hours of an application being submitted. Those who have already submitted applications will also receive calls, NBC 4 reported.

