MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s labor department says unemployed workers received more than $850 million in benefits in April as the number of jobless surged with employers letting go hundreds of thousands of people during the new coronavirus outbreak response.

Since mid-March, more than 474,000 Tennessee residents have sought unemployment benefits.

During the week ending Saturday, more than 37,000 people filed for state benefits and funds distributed under the federal CARES Act.

That’s the emergency assistance package created to deal with financial effects from the virus response.

Unemployment filings have spiked since cities, counties and the state issued orders closing nonessential businesses in March