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The coronavirus pandemic has swelled America’s jobless ranks to an ominous new record.
New unemployment claims filed last week totaled 3.28 million, more than double the 1.5 million economists were expecting and a marked increase from the 281,000 the week prior, the U.S. labor department said. The unusual surge in new unemployment claims matches the severity of the unprecedented COVID-19 public health crisis, which has infected more than 64,000 and killed more than 1,000 people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As the virus continues spreading throughout the country, the number of new unemployment insurance claims is widely expected to rise in the coming weeks. Retailers that shut down...