* NPR…

New claims for unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since March as states began reimposing lockdown restrictions in an effort to reverse a surge of coronavirus cases.

More than 1.4 million new claims were filed during the week ending July 18, an increase of more than 100,000 over the week before, the Labor Department reported Thursday.

In addition, claims for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which helps people who are self-employed or who don’t qualify for regular benefits, went up nearly 20,000 to about 975,000.

The number of new claims had been steadily ticking downward since March, when nearly 7 million people filed for unemployment insurance in a single week. Last week’s numbers marked the first reversal of that trend.

The increases are evidence that the labor market is deteriorating as businesses around the country close their doors again in response to an intensified coronavirus pandemic.

According to the US Department of Labor, 35,938 Illinois filed for unemployment assistance last week, a decrease of 2,323 from the week before. But initial Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims rose in Illinois to 74,414, up a whopping 17,257 from the previous week.