More than 790,000 Americans filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week, the Labor Department said Thursday, as the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to mount.

Although the nation is partially recovering from its steepest-ever recession amid the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses continue to lay off hundreds of thousands of workers as they grapple with fewer sales and depleted federal aid.

These “lost wages assistance” funds are in addition to a state's standard payouts for those unemployed, and are designed to be a temporary supplement after the expiration of the $600 weekly federal benefit that was issued under the CARES Act.

That latest surge means just over 58 million have sought aid for the first time in just 23 weeks. 

The theft of more than $44 million in federal funds meant for unemployed Pennsylvanians was thwarted by government agencies and banking institutions, the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania announced on Tuesday.

While many businesses began reopening in June as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remained at a high 13%.

A closely watched gauge of layoffs across the U.S. held steady at a historically high level last week, pushing the total during the coronavirus-induced economic crisis to a mind-boggling 51.3 million. 

1.3 million workers filed first time claims for unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That latest round of applications means roughly 50 million Americans have made initial jobless benefits claims in just 16 weeks.

Pennsylvania State Police are giving written warnings to Pennsylvanians who don’t comply with Gov. Tom Wolf’s order to wear a mask, but state officials are mostly relying on Pennsylvanians to “self enforcing” the directive.

Area hair salon owners, forced to shutter their doors due to the coronavirus crisis, discuss how they are managing, both financially and emotionally.