1.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits for the first time as the United States was swept by a new wave of the epidemic.
This is evidenced by data from the US Department of Labor, published on Thursday, July 16.
In total, from June 29 to July 5, 31.7 million people applied for benefits.
Nearly 1.3 million workers applied for unemployment insurance for the first time last week – the 17th straight week that new claims surpassed a million as the coronavirus pandemic continues to stunt the economy.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that with the new wave of coronavirus in the United States, there is a risk of renewed strict quarantine. This will again freeze economic activity.