The number of people filing for unemployment in Maine has soared to record levels.
More than 21,000 Mainers filed for unemployment last week.
Compare that to the second week of March, when a little more than 630 people filed for unemployment.
The 21,000 claims is much higher than the number of first-time claims during the the first of January 2009, when more than 5,600 people filed for unemployment amid the great recession.
Maine’s food, beverage and service industries have been hit particularly hard during the Coronavirus outbreak, as all restaurants and bars have been forced to either close or offer only take-out or delivery options.
The Portland Press Herald writes that the nearest comparison for single-week claims came during the state government shutdown in 1991, when more than 11,000 Mainers were temporarily laid off.
