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NASHVILLE (April 2) — According to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, unemployment claims increased sharply during the final two weeks of March. The spike in claims coincides with the implementation of increasingly restrictive social distancing guidelines intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Prior to the impact of the social distancing policies, during the week ending March 14, there were 2,702 new claims filed.
The following week, ending March 21, 39,096 new claims were filed, and the number increased to 94,492 last week, which ended on March 28.
The state labor department also released a breakdown of last week’s new claims by Local Workforce Development Area.
Greater Memphis — 12,548
Northwest Tennessee — 2,299
Southwest Tennessee — 2,571
Northern Middle Tennessee — 32,246