By Carol Vaughn —
New unemployment insurance claims on the Eastern Shore are surging in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency March 12 in response to the continued spread of the virus.
Accomack County had just six new claims the week of March 14. The number increased to 121 the next week, and to 320 the week of March 28.
Accomack had 409 new claims the week of April 4, the latest week for which data is available.
Northampton County had just three new unemployment claims the week of March 14.
By the next week, there were 40 new claims, and there were 116 the week of March 28.
Northampton had 163 new claims filed the week of April 4.
New data is released every Thursday by the Virginia Employment Commission.
Information about applying for COVID-19 related unemployment benefits is at https://www.vec.virginia.gov/covid19
Virginia as a whole had 147,369 new claims the week of April 4.
The number was 67.4 times higher than the comparable week last year —an increase of 145,182 claims, according to a press release from the VEC.
Food services and accommodations were the employment sectors most affected in the state initially, but “impacts have broadened to include more jobs in other sectors like manufacturing, transportation, and even certain types of health care,” according to the release.
