While the number of people filing unemployment claims on a weekly basis in Central Virginia is less than half of the peak figure reported in May, the amount of people receiving benefits on a continued basis is still substantially higher than it was at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.

A total of 4,307 continued claims for unemployment insurance were filed in the Central Virginia Local Workforce Development Area (LWDA) during the week of Sept. 19, according to VEC figures released Thursday, Sept. 24. That week’s figure was 55 percent lower than the 9,659 continued claims filed during the week of May 9, but still 570 percent higher than the 642 claims filed during the week of March 14.

Continued claims are made by individuals who have filed an initial claim for unemployment and are now making weekly claims to continue receiving benefits. The Central Virginia Workforce Development area includes the city of Lynchburg, along with the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.

The number of initial claims filed by those entering the unemployment system in the Central Virginia LWDA was 191 during the week of Sept. 19. That week’s figure represents an 11 percent increase from the previous week’s number of 171, but is still 94 percent lower than the 3,357 initial claims filed during the peak week of April 4.

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