Amid the spread of Coronavirus in the state, the Maine Department of Labor has announced a dramatic spike in unemployment claims.

There were 750 filings during the first week of March.

Maine Department of Labor commissioner Laura Fortman told WGAN Thursday there were about 5,000 claims from last Sunday to Wednesday of this week.

You can click here to listen to the entire interview with Fortman on the WGAN Morning News.

Governor Janet Mills signed emergency Coronavirus-related legislation on Wednesday.

That will extend unemployment benefits to those who are being quarantined or temporarily laid off because of the virus.

The Department of Labor tells WGME-TV that the 5,000 filings are the most in a single week since 2009, during the Great Recession.