Oskaloosa News Recap For February 12th, 2021 National and World News New applications for unemployment benefits dropped to 793,000 last week from 812,000 the week prior, according to figures from the US Department of Labor. The latest batch of initial jobless claims brought the total for the COVID pandemic to about 78 million — equivalent to nearly 49% of the American workforce. Jobless claims have remained above the pre-pandemic record of 695,000 for 47 consecutive weeks. ### Fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to quarantine following exposure to coronavirus, the CDC stated this week. The agency noted that those who have been exposed should still monitor for symptoms for 14 days and those who develop symptoms should be evaluated and tested.