DOVER, Del. (AP) - The pace at which Delawareans are filing unemployment continues to ease but still remains at record levels amid the coronavirus epidemic.
The Delaware Department of Labor reported Thursday that more than 9,290 unemployment claims were filed last week. That’s down from more than 13,250 filings in the previous week and less than half of the number of filings in each week for the two-week period ending April 4.
More than 71,000 Delawareans have filed for unemployment benefits since March 15, including more than 30,000 in March.
The previous monthly record for unemployment claim filings in Delaware over the past three decades was a little more than 9,600 in January 2002.
Overall, the number of unemployment claims filed from March 15 to April 11 roughly matched the combined total for the previous two years, according to state officials. The state paid more than $30 million in unemployment benefits last week, compared to $1.5 million to $3 million in a typical week.
The huge spike in unemployment claims comes after hundreds of Delaware businesses including restaurants, bars, retail shops, theaters and fitness centers, were forced to close or severely restrict operations under an emergency declaration by Democratic Gov. John Carney.
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