HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvanians filed about 650,000 unemployment compensation claims over the past 11 days as the coronavirus has spread and thousands of businesses closed or laid off employees, according to new information released by the state Thursday.

The single highest day, going back to March 15, was Friday, when more than 90,000 people filed claims.

That was the day after Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled an order for "non-life-sustaining" businesses to shut down in an effort to help stop the spread of the virus.

Support The Philadelphia Tribune Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reporting—but good journalism isn’t free. Please support the nation's longest continuously published newspaper serving the African American community by making a contribution. Contribute

In the seven days through Saturday, Pennsylvanians filed about 379,000 claims, smashing the record for an entire week in the state.

In the four days since then, Pennsylvanians have filed another 271,000, putting the state on course to break last week's record.