Yes, they had to have stopped working due to COVID for minimum 14 days in the period (basically from March 15 to April 11 is the first block). So examples are sick, Quarantined or looking after someone who is sick, no child care so have to stay home with kids, employer asked them to not come in to work (technically still employed but not receiving pay). They can't be receiving employment, self-employment, EI or a provincial plan related to mat/pat leave.
I don't have all the Q&A's yet, boss was supposed to send them but we've been a bit busy getting things set up for this so I guess he forgot.
Applications will be accepted through phone lines or My Account, 21 hours a day, so I'd suggest calling in an off time if you can (they do maintenance nightly from 3 AM to 6 AM EST). For the phones you need your SIN, Year of Birth, if you are getting a cheque (over DD) you need your postal code, the period you are applying for, and verify you are eligible. That's it.
I suspect there would be come verification activities later to ensure people aren't cheating the system. This is for people who need it after all. Any other questions let me know