JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Claims for unemployment benefits have risen dramatically in Alaska as concerns over the coronavirus have rippled through the state. A state labor department official says claims filed during the latest weekly reporting period totaled 7,806, up from 1,120 the prior week. The state has placed restrictions on the operation of certain businesses and some local governments have imposed restrictions of their own as part of “hunker down” orders. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has signed legislation that would waive a mandatory waiting period before unemployment insurance benefits could begin.
