Nearly 3,400 Upper Cumberland residents filed new unemployment claims in the week ending April 18.
That brings the total to more than 16,500 since the COVID-19 outbreak began.
The Nashville area of northern middle Tennessee continues to be the hardest hit area of the state. First time claims totaled over 29,000 last week in that region.
State officials hope the reopening of the economy, scheduled to start Monday, will help get Tennessee residents back to work. Meantime, those dealing with lost jobs continue to struggle with the process. Frequent computer issues and slow response have been common complaints.
