Eye popping jobless numbers

Updated South Carolina unemployment numbers are astounding, when you compare them to the numbers of first-time claims that were filed only three weeks ago. During a webinar staged this morning by the Oconee Chamber of Commerce, State Senator Thomas Alexander announced that claims statewide have ballooned from nearly 65 thousand last week to 85 thousand this week. The Oconee-Pickens lawmaker broke down the numbers as they applied to the tri-counties are 1,178 in Oconee, 2,153 in Pickens, and 3,324 in Anderson. But in the heart of South Carolina tourism, Myrtle Beach, there were 10,098 claims just last week. Alarming as those numbers seem, Alexander is optimistic that the pandemic will be defeated, as long as people remember to practice social distancing. The senator has taken to wearing a mask and tries to keep as much as 10 feet away from the nearest person to him.