More than 700 cars wait in two-mile-long food bank line in Miami as nearly HALF of US population is without a job amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of further shutdowns and lay-offs
More than 700 cars were seen waiting in a two-mile long food bank line in Florida as the US grapples with nearly half of Americans being unemployed amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of more shut downs and lay-offs.
Sunrise Assistant Leisure Services Director Maria Little, who was put in charge of food distribution for the city when the coronavirus hit the US in March, said her group served about 720 cars in Miami on Wednesday.
Little said that while the number of people in need have decreased since they started distributing food at the beginning of the pandemic, there is still a need.
'It fluctuates. So at certain times, you'll see a little bit more than the week before. But for the most part obviously there's still a need. Our plan is to keep doing it until we are told otherwise,'.
More than 700 cars were seen waiting in a two-mile long food bank line in Florida as the US grapples with nearly half of Americans being unemployed amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of more shut downs and lay-offs
Sunrise Assistant Leisure Services Director Maria Little, who was put in charge of food distribution for the city when the coronavirus hit the US in March, said her group served about 720 cars in Miami on Wednesday. Cars are seen approaching the food distribution area
Little said that while the number of people in need have decreased since they started distributing food at the beginning of the pandemic, there is still a need. People waited in their vehicles as far as two miles in order to get food from the distribution area
Cars were seen lined up bumper to bumper for two miles on Wednesday as they waited their turn for food
The shocking footage of cars lining up for two miles comes just two days after it was revealed that nearly half of the US adult population is without a job
Little said that Feeding South Florida provides all the meals, which includes meats, veggies, fruits, milk, water, juice and other items.
According to Little city workers have also been able to gain more hours while working at the food bank after having their hours cut due to the pandemic.
Video from Wednesday's food distribution also shows some of the workers packaging the food and handing it to each car as they pull up to the location.
The shocking footage of cars lining up for two miles comes just two days after it was revealed that nearly half of the US adult population is without a job.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment-population ratio for May 2020 shows that just 52.8 per cent of the adult population was employed.
This means that 47.2 per cent of adult Americans are jobless despite a surprising surge in jobs in May.
The employment-population ratio highlights the number of employed people as a percentage of the adult population, creating a broader picture of the rate of employment across the country.
While the unemployment rate only includes those actively looking for a job, this ratio accounts for those not in the labor force and those discouraged about their prospects of finding a job.
Video from Wednesday's food distribution also shows some of the workers (pictured) packaging the food and handing it to each car as they pull up to the location
According to Little city workers have also been able to gain more hours while working at the food bank after having their hours cut due to the pandemic. Workers are seen preparing frozen chickens during the distribution on Wednesday
Little said that Feeding South Florida provides all the meals (some packaged food pictured), which includes meats, veggies, fruits, milk, water, juice and other items
Young women hand out milk as a car pulls under the distribution tent in Miami on Wednesday
A young woman is seen preparing to hand a man milk during the distribution on Wednesday
Employees are seen unpackaging canned goods and noodles on Wednesday
Several pounds of fruit is seen in boxes ahead of the distribution in Miami on Wednesday
The labor force only includes about 60 per cent of the adult population.
May's ratio figures showed a massive plunge from the 61.2 per cent employed in January 2020. It had increased slightly from 51.3 per cent in April.
It is also far below the record post-war high of 64.7 per cent in 2000 as experts warn that up to 30 million jobs will have to be created to get it back to its peak.
'To get the employment-to-population ratio back to where it was at its peak in 2000 we need to create 30 million jobs,' Torsten Slok, Deutsche Bank's chief economist, told CNBC.
The high number of jobless Americans highlights how far the US labor market still has to go to recovery from the massive job losses caused by the coronavirus shutdowns.
Although millions of new jobs and a lower jobless rate is expected to be recorded for the month of June, concerns remain that there is a slowdown in the labor market caused by the resurgence of coronavirus cases in many states.
Almost half of all adult Americans have been jobless in the last two months. It was a sharp fall from the 61.2% employed in January 2020 and the record 64.7% set in 2020
The Labor Department said that new claims for state unemployment benefits totaled 1.48 million for the week endingJune 20, a slight dip but but still a high figure
Should cases continue to spike, states may reimpose some limits on businesses that would likely trigger job cuts.
Whether by choice or by government order, fewer consumers would shop, travel, eat out and visit bars or gyms. All those scenarios would result in renewed layoffs and hinder the economy.
'Right now the economy's recovery is being dragged down by the millions and millions of Americans without jobs and [who] simply haven't got it,' Chris Rupkey, MUFG Union Bank's chief financial economist, told CNBC.
'The massive job losses mean the economy isn't out of the woods yet.'
Within the last 24 hours, the US has reported a record 52,000 new COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The surge marks a new one-day record of infections as states across the country reopen.
According to the tracker, there were 52,898 new cases over the 24 hours to Wednesday evening.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in the US was 2,686,928 late Thursday morning and the number of deaths stood at 128,064.
The daily coronavirus case numbers have remained around the 40,000 mark in recent days. On Tuesday, more than 44,000 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the US.
Adding to the rise in cases, hospitalizations for COVID-19, the contagious respiratory disease that first emerged in China, are also increasing in Houston, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona.
US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that the outlook for the world's biggest economy was 'extraordinarily uncertain'.
He added that the success of the recovery effort will depend in large part on the country's ability to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
His comments came as part of a testimony he delivered Tuesday in an appearance with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin before the House Financial Services Committee.
'A full recovery is unlikely until people are confident that it is safe to re-engage in a broad range of activities,' Powell said.
Powell repeated a pledge that the central bank will keep interest rates at their current ultra-low levels until it is sure the economy has weathered the pandemic crisis. He said the reopening occurred sooner than expected, with hiring and consumer spending both picking up in May.
'While this bounce back in economic activity is welcome, it also presents new challenges, notably, the need to keep the virus in check,' Powell said.
The Trump administration has indicated it would be willing to back further economic support on top of the nearly $3 trillion in support already approved.
But Democrats and Republicans are split on the size of any new rescue package and what elements it should contain.
More than 700 cars wait in two-mile-long food bank line in Miami as nearly HALF of US population is without a job amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of further shutdowns and lay-offs
![More than 700 cars wait in two-mile-long food bank line in Miami as nearly HALF of US population is without a job amid a spike in new coronavirus cases that has sparked fears of further shutdowns and lay-offs]()
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