3.28M Americans file for unemployment amid COVID-19

WASHINGTON

Americans filing for unemployment rose to a record 3.28 million last week, as the country grapples with the closure of millions of businesses because of fears of the coronavirus, according the Labor Department.

A total of 3,283,000 people applied for jobless benefits between March 15 and 22, rising form 281,000 the previous week.

"This marks the highest level of seasonally adjusted initial claims in the
history of the seasonally adjusted series," said the department. "The previous high was 695,000 in October of 1982."

Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia said the surge was because of measures to fight the virus known as COVID-19.

"This large increase in unemployment claims was not unexpected, and results from the recognition by Americans across the country that we have had to temporarily halt certain activities in order to defeat the coronavirus," he said in a statement.

Fifty states have enacted measures, including declaring states of emergency to limit the spread of the virus. Accordingly, all-nonessential businesses have remained closed across the country, and people were asked to stay home.

The total number of infections in the U.S. is rapidly approaching 70,000 and the death toll stands at 1,046, according to a running tally being compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The U.S. now has the third-most infections after Italy and China, which have 74,386 and 81,782 cases, respectively.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, in December, the virus has spread to at least 175 countries and territories, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins.

More than 491,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with the global death toll higher than 22,100. More than 118,000 people have recovered, according to the data.