Unemployment insurance claims in Montgomery County more than doubled for the second week in a row, and nearly doubled in Maryland overall.
Last week Montgomery County saw 9,384 claims, according to the Maryland Department of Labor. It had 3,941 claims the week before. Maryland overall saw 84,230 claims last week, with 42,334 the week before.
Montgomery County has the second-highest number of claims filed, after Baltimore County with 13,352.
Three weeks ago, ending on March 13, Maryland had 3,852 unemployment insurance claims. The jump that occurred the following week was the same week Gov. Larry Hogan ordered all bars, restaurants, movie theaters, and gyms in Maryland to close to slow the spread of COVID-19. The nearly-doubled jump last week came the same week Hogan ordered all nonessential businesses to close.