FARGO, N.D. (AP) - Weeks after she was furloughed from her job as a direct support professional for adults with disabilities, Joy Rosen was greeted with smiles and plenty of chit-chat when she popped into the Vocational Training Center in south Fargo this week.
One of the handful of workers still working at the facility was so happy to see her that she attempted a high-five, which Rosen turned into an elbow bump before quickly returning to social distancing space. It was a touching moment for Rosen, one of the millions of Americans who are unemployed because of the coronavirus.
“You are their support system during the day,” said Rosen, who helps seven people do their jobs and maintain a healthy lifestyle by taking them swimming at the YMCA and leading a daily “Morning Wake Up With Joy” stretching routine, among other things.
“They are almost like family. They are part of your life. You think about them all the time,” she said.
U.S. Labor Department figures released Friday showed that the nation’s unemployment rate hit 14.7% in April, which is the highest since the Great Depression. The country lost 20.5 million jobs, the worst monthly loss on record.
Official April figures for North Dakota won’t be released until later this month, but initial unemployment applications have seen a steady decline in recent weeks, according to the Job Service North Dakota website. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said the drop is because some businesses are reopening this month, and the figures in March were so high due to layoffs in the oil patch.
Rosen was laid off on April 1.
A single mother of a 19-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter, both of whom live with her, Rosen was one of 54 workers furloughed as the center lost 90% of its outsourcing and subcontracting business when cases of COVID-19 began to mount. Scott Burtsfield, executive director of the nonprofit center, kept his workers as long as he could in a gradual layoff.
“It cost us quite a bit of money to keep people here until we could qualify for the federal unemployment piece,” Burtsfield said. “We didn’t want to create any hardships for staff and we want everybody coming back.”
Rosen has maintained her health benefits and said a positive aspect has been spending time with her children and watching them become closer during a difficult time. She wonders when she will be able to return to work and what the job will look like. Several of the people she works with are on the autism spectrum and want to stay close.
“They really don’t understand the social distancing thing, so it’s very uncertain at this point,” Rosen said, referring to the changes in store for her when she returns. “I try not to think about it. Not being able to hug or high-five, or whatever, it’s a different work situation than working in an office.”
She added, “I believe there will be a new normal and a new protocol, and we’ll be able to get back to what we’re doing.”
Many workers in North Dakota have been gradually returning to work since Gov. Doug Burgum started the month by lifting restrictions on previously shuttered businesses such as bars, restaurants, beauty salons and movie theaters. Others are still looking for jobs.
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari said Thursday that North Dakota’s energy and agriculture sectors are being hardest hit by COVID-19. However, he believes the state is well-positioned to recover quickly because its population is spread out and the healthcare system is strong.
The North Dakota University System, which includes 11 colleges and universities and is a large employer in the state, is leaving some job openings unfilled for now and has reduced hours for some employees due to the effects of the virus, system spokeswoman Billie Jo Lorius said. Each school is reviewing “campus necessities,” said Lorius, noting these are “unscripted times.”
Meanwhile, North Dakota’s positive COVID-19 tests continue to rise. Health officials on Friday confirmed 54 new cases in the state, for a total of 1,425, and two new deaths, for a total of 33. There were also 33 people with the disease who were hospitalized. The state tested more than 1,600 people on Thursday, raising the total to more than 42,500.
There were 43 new cases and one new death in Cass County, which includes the Fargo metropolitan area. A task force that aims to slow the spread in the most populous county held its first meeting Friday.
Burgum announced Friday that North Dakota is the 26th state to receive a decontamination system that can sanitize N95 respirator masks worn mainly by healthcare workers. It has the capacity to decontaminate 20,000 masks a day and gives “extra resilience and confidence” that the state will not run out of personal protective equipment, the governor said.
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