SC jobless claims double in a week, nearing 100K total due to coronavirus outbreak

South Carolina unemployment claims more than doubled in one week as South Carolinians keep feeling the financial and health fallout from the coronavirus.

By the end of last week, 64,856 South Carolinians had filed initial unemployment insurance claims, according to data from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. That was a 108% increase from the previous week, when the agency received 31,054 initial claims from people living and working in the state. In two weeks, the state’s applications for unemployment benefits have ballooned close to 100,000 total.

From the start of March to the end, initial unemployment claims in South Carolina rose by 3,149.3%, according to DEW.

Workers in coastal counties Charleston and Horry — which rely heavily on the hospitality and tourism industries — filed the most claims during the week ending March 28. Charleston County workers filed 7,845 claims and Horry County workers filed 9,672 claims, the most of any county in the state.

DEW received 3,057 Berkeley County claims and 2,709 Beaufort County claims.

At least 6,556 workers in Greenville County were separated from their jobs and filed initial claims with SCDEW. In the capital, Richland County, 4,684 people filed for unemployment benefits the week of March 28, the agency said. Lexington County claims rose to 3,112 in the last week.

The coronavirus has had an unprecedented impact on the world, essentially freezing business and pummeling nations’ economies. As U.S. officials try to get a hold on ballooning rates of infection, many workers have been sidelined.

In the past week, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all “nonessential” businesses to close, and he shut down public boat ramps and beach access across the state. He has stopped just short of issuing the statewide shelter-in-place orders that many other states have adopted.

Cases of the coronavirus and patient deaths from COVID-19 are predicted to continue increasing through May.

The hospitality, tourism and service industries have been ravaged as more local and state governments tell Americans to stay in their homes and avoid groups. In March, McMaster banned dine-in service at bars and restaurants, encouraging food takeout and delivery options instead — options that don’t make up for the revenue loss at most restaurants.

Economic activity has slowed even more in the past week, as businesses laid off workers or cut hours in the face of a pandemic that could drag on for weeks or months, according to health officials.

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 9:01 AM with the headline "SC jobless claims double in a week, nearing 100K total due to coronavirus outbreak."