- U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall More than Expected
- Sydney Lockdown Extended
- Turkey, Ukraine and North Macedonia’s Covid-19 Vaccines will be Recognized
U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall More than Expected
Unemployment claims in the United States have dropped to a low point of 348,000. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic recession, this is a sign that the American economy is rebounding.
Jobless claims decreased by 29,000 to 348,000, according to the Labor Department. The four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations, dropped by 19,000 to a little under 378,000, a pandemic low.
“When I took office in January, an average of more than 830,000 Americans were filing initial unemployment insurance claims,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday. “That number has fallen by more than half to below 378,000. Our economy has created more than 4 million jobs since I took office – more jobs created at this point than any previous administration,” the president continued. “Our economy is also growing at the fastest rate in the first half of a year in nearly 40 years.”
Biden said that Thursday’s numbers reinforce “the historic nature of our economic recovery.”
Nonetheless, by historical standards, the number of applications is still high but according to all accounts, the employment market has been bouncing back with speed since the pandemic stopped economic activity last year and employers cut over 22 million jobs.
Sydney Lockdown Extended
To prevent the spreading of a Covid outbreak, a lockdown in Sydney, Australia’s capital, has been prolonged until the end of September. A curfew was also enforced on two million residents in the city’s worst-affected suburbs. Sydney residents have been ordered to stay at home since late June. In the wake of breakouts in Melbourne and Canberra, more than half of Australia’s 25 million people are living in lockdown.
Infections, on the other hand, have more than doubled in the last week, with 642 new cases reported on Friday and 681 new cases reported on Thursday. Australia on Thursday marked its highest daily infections since the pandemic began, recording 754 cases.
“I apologize to the vast majority of people in those communities who are doing the right thing but for our health and safety moving forward we need to make these difficult decisions,” New South Wales (NSW) Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.
Local lawmakers have also criticized authorities for applying harsher restrictions in the city’s poorer west and southwest suburbs.
Turkey, Ukraine and North Macedonia’s Covid-19 Vaccines will be Recognized
Citizens of the Republic of Turkey, who have a Covid-19 vaccination certificate and valid visa, will be able to travel to 27 European Union countries without any problems, starting Friday, August 20. EU citizens with a valid certificate will also be able to travel to Turkey, Ukraine and North Macedonia.
People who have received two doses of vaccine in Turkey can obtain their “Covid-19 Vaccine Card” via e-Nabız or Hayat Eve Sığar (HES) application. In the vaccination certificate; There are various information such as name, surname, TR ID number, date of birth, types of vaccines administered, manufacturers, and dates of vaccination.
According to the statement made by the European Commission, it has been decided to expand the digital Covid certificate, which came into force as of July 1, to include other non-EU countries.
BioNTech-Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson and Johnson have become the certified Covid-19 vaccines approved in the EU; No additional testing or additional restrictions are applied to travel to persons 2 weeks after the last dose.
