On this Labor Day, it’s the end of payments for some people.
More than seven-million Americans lose their unemployment benefits this Labor Day as pandemic unemployment programs expire.
That means unemployed Americans will stop getting an extra 300-dollars a week in benefits. Many states had already ended the program, with governors claiming that it was keeping people from taking available jobs.
Meanwhile, this Labor Day finds the nation dealing with four times as many COVID-19 cases as this time last year and the CDC warning those who haven’t been vaccinated that travel is not a good idea. NBC’s Tom Costello has more.
Sixty-two percent of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine but with the rapidly-spreading delta variant, hospitalizations are twice as high as they were last Labor Day.
In other weekend news, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” is this week’s top movie in North America. The Marvel martial arts superhero epic earned just over 71-million-dollars at the box office in the U.S. and Canada. This is the second-largest opening of any film in the pandemic era — second only to another Marvel picture, “Black Widow.” “Shang-Chi” is projected to haul in a total of 83-and-a-half-million-bucks during the Labor Day weekend.
Coming in second is “Candyman” with ten-and-a-half-million-dollars. Rounding out this week’s Top Five are “Free Guy,” “Paw Patrol — The Movie” and “Jungle Cruise.”
Whatever plans you have for your own Labor Day, wishing you a fun and safe Monday!
