Brooklyn Coronavirus Update and Open Thread: Unemployment (5/21/20)

We’re in the tenth week of sheltering in place and the 42nd day of home schooling for New York City schools.

Unemployment claims reached 2.4 million in the last week, bringing the total since the shutdown to nearly 39 million claims, or 14.7 percent, according to Labor Department figures released today. The real rate of jobless could be higher but claims have been declining for seven weeks in a row, a good sign.

What are your thoughts, and how are you weathering the shutdown? What do you think should be done in Brooklyn to combat the spread of the virus and blunt the damage to local businesses and jobs? Please feel free to comment in a respectful manner (please, no personal attacks, nothing libelous). If you are not already logged in, go up to the top right hand side of the page and log in to be able to comment.