US jobless swells to 22m in just 4 weeks
Print Edition
THE ranks of Americans thrown out of work by the coronavirus ballooned yesterday to at least 22 million in just four weeks, an unprecedented collapse that has fueled widening protests and propelled President Donald Trump’s push to relax the nation’s social distancing guidelines.
Trump planned to announce new guidelines yesterday to reopen the economy after a monthlong shutdown over the novel coronavirus outbreak, despite concerns from health experts, governors and business leaders about a resurgence in cases without more testing and protocols in place.
Trump announced his decision to push states to lift stay-at-home and other restrictions to halt the spread of the highly contagious disease as the number of deaths in the United States approached 31,000 on Wednesday — more than any other nation.
States’ orders have also crushed the nation’s economy. The government said 5.2 million more people applied for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the running total to about 22 million out of a US work force of roughly 159 million — easily the worst stretch of US job losses on record.
The unemployment data yesterday comes on the heels of retail data one day earlier showing a record drop in sales and the lowest factory output since the end of the World War II, further pressuring Trump, who had staked his re-election in November on the strength of the US economy.
On Wednesday, Trump said data suggested new cases have peaked and that industry leaders in a round of calls offered him good insights into how to safely restart the economy.
But Trump was warned that a dramatic increasing in testing and wider availability of protective equipment will be necessary for the safe restoration of their operations.
Earlier this week, Trump said he had the power to override state governors who did not move to restart activity, before later saying he would work with them on their efforts to reopen. States meanwhile are seeking US$500 billion more in immediate fiscal relief from Congress.
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