New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that at least half a million of the city’s 8.5 million residents are, or will be, out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic. According to CNN, de Blasio said that the number was the city’s “initial projection” of individuals that are “either already out of work or soon will be.” He reportedly compared the staggering unemployment projection to the Great Depression, which he said “scares [him] to the death to even say that.” New York City has become a coronavirus hotbed in the U.S., with over 72,000 confirmed cases in the city and 3,400 deaths so far according to Johns Hopkins University. The virus has shuttered most non-essential businesses, prompting mass layoffs and furloughs for employees—particularly in the retail and service industries.