Economic fallout mounts, along with competition for masks
By MICHAEL R. SISAK, LORI HINNANT and MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — The economic damage from the coronavirus crisis piled up as a record 6.6 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, and the competition for masks and other protective gear intensified amid growing evidence that people who are infected but have no symptoms can spread the virus. The new unemployment claims announced Thursday, double those of last week’s previous record high, mean 10 million people have lost their jobs over two weeks because of the virus outbreak and also almost certainly signal the onset of a severe global recession.