Morgan McKay is reporting for the State of Politics blog with New York "on pause," many employers have laid off their employees to allow them to collect unemployment checks, leading to a record number of unemployment claims being filed. The Department of Labor said its website is averaging around 250,000 logins a day. The system usually handles 50,000 calls a week. Last week there were 1.7 million calls. This has left many people unable to finish the process of filing for unemployment. Secretary to the governor, Melissa De Rosa, said that the system was "overrun almost to the point of collapse." State officials are now working to increase the server and bandwidth capacity for the website, and the Labor Department is also hiring more staff and rehiring retired staff to help with phone calls. New York is waiving the seven-day waiting period for benefits during this emergency. Labor officials said anyone who qualifies for benefits will receive them in full, even if there are delays in filing. For anyone who wants to apply for benefits, the day to file is based on your last name, Monday through Wednesday; Thursday through Saturday are open enrollment days. Step-by-step filing instructions can be found online at labor [dot] ny [dot] gov.