Reuters reports that the rate of new claims for benefits in Britain has slowed but is still running above the normal level, Department for Work and Pensions Director General Neil Couling said on Wednesday, underlining the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on jobs.

Couling, who runs Britain's universal credit system which groups together six benefits into one payment, said his department was working flat out to deal with the increased number of claims which, at one point, was running at 10 times the normal level. The number is now down to around two or three times.