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Washington had third largest increase in unemployment claims amid coronavirus pandemic: report

By Becca Savransky, SeattlePI

|Updated
It has been more than 100 days since Washington's first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. Since then, life as we know has been virtually upended. Click through the slideshow to see what we know so far about when certain businesses in Washington will reopen, and what we might be missing for a while longer. >>>

It has been more than 100 days since Washington's first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus. Since then, life as we know has been virtually upended.

Click through the slideshow to see what we know so far about when certain businesses in Washington will reopen, and what we might be missing for a while longer. >>>

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

For more coverage, visit our complete coronavirus section here.

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The novel coronavirus pandemic continues to leave hundreds of thousands of people across Washington state out of work, struggling to make ends meet as the state slowly begins its reopening process.

According to a new report, Washington had the third largest increase in unemployment claims year over year during the week of May 11.

The study, from WalletHub, found the state saw 145,228 unemployment claims during the week of May 11, compared to just 5,513 unemployment claims filed the week of May 13, 2019. That represents a more than 2,500% increase.

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Washington also had the fourth highest increase in unemployment claims when compared to the first week of January this year, the report found. During the week of Jan. 1, 10,024 people filed unemployment claims, representing just a fraction of the number of people who filed for unemployment the week of May 11.

Between the weeks of March 16 and May 11, more than 1.2 million people have filed for unemployment insurance across Washington.

The study used data from the U.S. Department of Labor to find which states experienced the largest increase in unemployment claims year over year.

Washington has begun the process of slowly reopening, but it's likely many people will be out of work for several more weeks or months. The state is currently in Phase 1, which includes eased restrictions on outdoor recreation and the opening of some businesses, such as automobile sales and car washes. In Phase 1, people are still required to follow social distancing guidelines and are not allowed to have gatherings.

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Several counties throughout the state have applied for and been approved to move more quickly into Phase 2, but King, Snohomish and Pierce counties have still not met the criteria needed to move to the second phase. Phase 2 includes the opening of restaurants, hair and nail salons and retail stores at reduced capacities. In Phase 2, gatherings of five or fewer people can also resume.

Inslee has said all of the decisions on when to move to the next phase would be based on data and science. He has repeatedly said the state will take a cautious approach to reopening to prevent another surge in the number of cases and hospitalizations from the virus.

The most recent data from the Washington State Department of Health showed more than 20,000 confirmed cases of the virus, including 1,070 deaths.

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Becca Savransky is a reporter/producer for the SeattlePI.