New unemployment claims post steep growth in Utah
An employee makes face masks at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Workers make face shields at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A worker sews face masks at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
A face mask is shown at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Workers sew face masks at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Workers sew face masks at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus in order to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Romy Humphries wears a face mask and face shield at SugarHouse Industries Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Midvale, Utah. SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nearly 20,000 new people applied for unemployment in Utah last week, an explosive increase that’s in line with national data released Thursday amid widespread business closures related to the new coronavirus.
The food preparation and services industry took the biggest hit, with a 37% increase in unemployment claims after Gov. Gary Herbert ordered restaurants across the state closed to dine-in customers to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Claims from office support and management workers also increased, though by slimmer margins.
Salt Lake County, the state’s most populous, had the largest hike, with Utah and Davis Counties following behind.
“Clearly, the volume of claims has increased significantly, and also quickly,” said Kevin Burt, Unemployment Insurance Division director for the Utah Department of Workforce Service, in a statement. Many of those newly jobless workers do remain connected with their employers and expect to go back to work after the businesses re-open.
In Utah, a total of 19,591 people filed for unemployment, a nearly 1,400% increase over the week before.
Across the country, nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, almost five times the previous record set in 1982. The U.S. Department of Labor released some inaccurate figures indicating a smaller drop in Utah, state officials said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
In other developments:
— A Transpiration Security Administration agent at the Salt Lake International Airport has tested positive for COVID-19, KSL-TV reported. The officer worked an early-morning shift in the security checkpoint at Terminal 1 and was last at work on March 24. The agency has reported positive coronavirus tests among screening officers at 14 U.S. airports.
— The mayors of Salt Lake City and county have expressed support for a shelter-in-place order for the area around Utah's capital city, but said they'd prefer it was part of a statewide effort.
— SugarHouse Industries, a Utah company that usually manufactures boat tops and covers, has reconfigured its operation amid the spread of the coronavirus to produce face shields and masks.
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Associated Press photographer Rick Bowmer contributed reporting from Midvale.