1 in 6 American workers are now out of a job due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to new data released in the US on Thursday. This takes unemployment in the US to levels last seen during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In response to the deepening economic crisis, the House passed a nearly USD 500 billion spending package to help buckled businesses and hospitals.

More than 4.4 million laid-off Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, the US government reported. In all, roughly 26 million people have now filed for unemployment aid in five weeks.