Unemployment numbers aren't as bad as projected, and could mean a quicker recovery

Unemployment numbers aren't as bad as projected, and could mean a quicker recovery

THE GOVERNOR ANNOUNCED THAT PALMBEACH COUNTY WILL BE PART OFPHASE-ONE STARTING ON MONDAY.FOX FOUR IS COMMITTED TO SHOWINGYOU HOW OUR COMMUNITIES AREBOUNCING BACK DURING THESECHALLENGING TIMES.IT’S PART OF OUR ’REBOUNDSOUTHWEST FLORIDA SERIES.’TODAY- EDISON MALL OPENED ITSDOORS AGAIN AFTER BEING FORCEDTO SHUTDOWN.FOUR IN YOUR CORNER’S ROB MANCWAS THERE AS STORES BEGAN TOREOPEHE SPOKE WITH EMPLOYEES...AND AN ECONOMIST...TO LEARN WHATHE RETURN TO WORK MEANS FOR OURSTATE, AND THE COUNTRY AS AWHOLE.(:30 - :35)(1:22 - 1:27)INTRO:We got a glimpse of the newnormal today here at EdisonMall.There were sanitizing stations,and a lot of people were wearingface masks.You weren’t even allowed totouch the doors.But aside from all that, storeswere open, and one economist Ispoke with says that can only bea good sign.PKG:As customers bustled through thehallways for the first time inmore than a month, employeesfinally back at work were doingtheir best to sanitizeeverything."At night, I spend hourscleaning, and then in themorning I do the same thing,because I’m paranoid."That’s Chey Howlett, the managerat Candy Cane Sugar.And she’s not kidding.She was still cleaning while Iwas there.The store also has a sanitizistation, and Howlett hascompletely changed how theystore their merchandise.Chey Howlett, Candy Cane SugarManager:"The candy is in a bag, also ina bin, so there’s two layers ofprotection."Howlett says, it’s good to beback, because the last few weekshave been hard."I’m fortunate to have asecondary job, but my employeesdon’t, so that’s heartbreaking,because I know that they’re notgetting paid.Looking at new numbers releasedthis week, those employees arethe lucky ones.The Labor Department says 14.7million people are nowunemployed nationwide.But amazingly, that spike isactually better than expected."It wasn’t as bad as a lot ofeconomists were projecting.

Isaw numbers coming into today,earlier in the week, ofpredictions of around 20 percentunemployment."FGCU Economics Professor Dr. TomSmythe says that means theRebound won’t take as long.If everyone follows the CDCguidelines.Dr. Tom Smythe, FGCU EconomicsProfessor"we’ve just got to encourageeach other to do it inresponsible ways, so that wedon’t have setbacks."Howlett says she’s doing whatshe can to make sure a setbackdoesn’t happen.But for now, she’s just glad tobe back at her job."It was really hard for theand also for myself, but it’sgood to be back."TAG:And Dr. Smythe also told me thathe’s finally seeing severalsmall businesses receive theirPPP loans from the federalgovernment.He says that’s just another signthat things might be