Unemployment claims by workers displaced due to the coronavirus pandemic have skyrocketed this week.
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman said Thursday that preliminary numbers show there were 1,500 claims on Sunday, 4,300 on Monday, 8,500 on Tuesday and 15,000 on Wednesday.
Gov. Tony Evers ordered all bars and restaurants closed on Tuesday.
Last week, Frostman said claims averaged about 700 a day.
Similar spikes have been seen in states across the country as businesses shut down and people are forced out of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Evers has waived some requirements to speed the awarding of benefits and called on the Republican-controlled Legislature to do away with a one-week waiting period to qualify.
