Ohio unemployment claims decline as virus spreads

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s unemployment claims declined for the 10th consecutive week, indicating residents are returning to work as the state reopens amid the virus’s continuous spread.

For the week ending July 4, Ohio saw a reported 33,483 initial jobless claims to the U.S. Department of Labor, according to the state Department of Job and Family Services.

The decline comes after weeks of record-breaking jobless claims as the state weathered the initial outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic that halted the economy.

In the past four months, nearly $5 billion in unemployment payments have been made to more than 736,000 Ohioans, according to the state agency.

As Ohio continues to push through its reopening plan, the numbers of reported cases rise once again, reaching 1,277 reported cases Wednesday.

The number of probable or confirmed cases statewide pushed past 60,000 this week as Gov. Mike DeWine introduced a color-coded system to help localize mandates and virus response strategies.

On Tuesday, the governor also announced a mask mandate for seven Ohio counties declared red zones.

Three of those counties are home to the state’s three largest cities, Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati.

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Farnoush Amiri is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.