Gross domestic product in the U.S. fell 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020, the biggest drop the nation's economy has seen since the last recession in 2008, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The downturn reflects how shutdowns of businesses and schools and social distancing, which started in the final three weeks of the first quarter, affected the U.S. economy. According to The Journal, many economists believe the U.S. is now in a recession, as layoffs and declines across industries hit unprecedented levels.
With the economy largely shut down in April, economists are expecting a bigger drop-off in economic activity in the second quarter of this year. A few states have started to slowly reopen their economies, but many still have social-distancing restrictions in place that extend through May.
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