Georgia’s confirmed cases passed 11,000 on Friday, just a day after the state reported nearly 400,000 first-time unemployment claims. The sharp increase in claims, while expected, is shocking.
Kennesaw State Economist Roger Tutterow said he expected a COVID-19 related jump in the latest unemployment claims.
“But there is no way to sugar coat it…this is a catastrophic adjustment to employment in the state,” he said.
Tutterow said it looks like companies had tried to hold on to their employees during the first few weeks of the Coronavirus pandemic, but are now running out of options.
Figures released Thursday by the Georgia Department of Labor showed unemployment claims processed by the agency had nearly tripled compared to the previous week, when the pandemic had already driven claims to new record highs.
Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said there is no comparison to the number of claims. He said the highest ever in Georgia was 120,000 in December of 2008.
“So we did almost four times as many claims in one week than we did in one month during the recession,” Butler said.
There is a lot of federal money on the way to help. Officials say $600 a week should be coming to the unemployed in Georgia starting next week.
The Georgia workers were among 6.6 million Americans who filed unemployment claims last week, and roughly 1-in-10 U.S. workers lost jobs in the past three weeks.
Gov. Brian Kemp pledged state labor officials are working to “get funds to hurting Georgians as quickly as possible.” The agency said it paid out more than $41 million in benefits to more than 168,000 people last week.
The Georgia Department of Health reported 11,859 confirmed cases, 425 deaths and 2,454 hospitalizations as of Friday evening.
Cobb, Gwinnett Schools Switching To New Schedule
When metro Atlanta public school students return from spring break and resume online learning Monday some of them will begin a new schedule.
The Cobb and Gwinnett County school systems will switch to a four-day school week.
Online learning will continue Monday through Thursday.
Both districts say on Fridays students can work independently or catch up on their assignments.
All Georgia public schools have switched to online learning for the rest of the year under an order from Governor Brian Kemp.
Georgia’s Senators Sign Letter Aiming To Help Farmers
Both of Georgia’s U.S. Senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, have signed on to a letter aimed at helping the states’s farmers.
They’re asking Homeland Security and the Labor Department for more flexibility in a program that brings immigrant farmworkers to Georgia.
They want those seasonal workers to be able to stay longer and work on more than one farm.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black says, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, this should help some farmers.
“Actually, we have workers here whose contract was up, but they want to allow them to stay in the system or stay longer,” he said.
Georgia agriculture relies heavily on the visa program that allows for temporary immigrant labor.
Travel restrictions and reduction in embassy personnel have put farm labor in jeopardy just as the crop season begins in Georgia.
Atlanta Humane Society Is Offering Aid
The Atlanta Humane Society said it’s reaching out to pet owners in need of resources — like low-cost veterinary care and extra food — amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The organization said in a statement that it will provide services like a free COVID-19 pet hotline and no-cost emergency boarding to owners who are hospitalized with the virus and don’t have another caregiver.
The Humane Society has been closed off to the public since mid-March.
Other metro Atlanta shelters, like LifeLine Animal Project, have seen increased demand for people willing to foster or adopt a pet.
LifeLine officials said its three shelters have been almost emptied out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
