OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) — Help is on the way for Canadians that have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the Prime Minister’s daily briefing Sunday, he tells Canadians the pandemic emergency response benefit will kick in this week.

As of today, online applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit will open for those who have lost their jobs or paychecks due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

If you’ve already been approved for employment insurance benefits, your application will automatically be moved over to the new benefit with no need to reapply.

You can sign up to receive support by visiting canada.ca.

“If you choose to direct deposit, you will get the first payment within three to five days,” Trudeau says. “If you choose to receive your benefit by mail, you’ll get money within the next 10 days.”

CERB will be available to Canadian workers over the age of 15 who have or are not expecting an income for at least 14 consecutive days in the initial four-week period.

Workers must have an income of at least $5,000 last year or 12 months prior to the date of the application.