​States reported that 853,000 U.S. workers filed for new unemployment benefits during the week ending Dec. 5, amid a new round of business closures due to a resurgence in coronavirus cases. New jobless claims had hovered between 700,000 and 800,000 for

the past seven weeks. This number averaged about 200,000 before the pandemic.The total number of workers continuing to claim unemployment benefits now stands at 5.7 million. At the same time, the program for people whose benefits have ru