Last week's unemployment claims in New Mexico dwarf those from the peak of the 2009 recession

Workers filed more than 17,000 initial unemployment claims in New Mexico last week, signaling what could be the start of a continuing trend as the state fights the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The 17,187 claims for the week ending March 21 were up from 869 filed a week prior — an increase of more than 1,800% — according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The previous high for claims filed in a single week in New Mexico was 3,308. That figure came in February 2009 during the Great Recession,…