AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) Continued claims for unemployment are declining in Maine as the state’s economy continues to reopen.

The Maine Department of Labor said overall continued claims filed each week were down roughly 1,350 during the week that ended July 3. The department said about 9,400 continued claims were filed for state unemployment during that week.

The state handled another 9,900 weekly certifications filed under pandemic unemployment assistance, and about 15,000 weekly certifications for the federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.

The department said it has paid more than $2.3 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits since the start of the pandemic. About $1.7 billion of that figure was paid through federal programs, the department said.

Maine’s unemployment rate for May was 4.7%. That was 1.1 percentage points less than the national rate.