Another 709,000 Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as the labor market continued a slow recovery threatened by a dangerous new wave of coronavirus infections, the feds said Thursday.

The latest initial jobless claims brought the number filed during the COVID-19 pandemic to a seasonally adjusted total of more than 67.4 million — a figure larger than the population of the United Kingdom, the US Department of Labor data show.

The fourth straight weekly decline in new filings came as the US grappled with a record-setting spike in virus cases that’s led some parts of the country to impose new restrictions on businesses like those that sent unemployment to record levels in the spring.

“With each passing week, many businesses see an extension of diminished revenues, particularly those in the leisure, hospitality and travel spaces,” said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate. “With more restrictions, either from governments or self-imposed by consumers, there’s no let-up in pandemic fatigue.”

Last week’s jobless claims beat economists’ expectations for 730,000 filings but remained above the pre-pandemic record of 695,000 for the 34th consecutive week.

Continuing claims, which measure ongoing joblessness on a one-week lag, fell to about 6.8 million in the week ending Oct. 31, marking the seventh straight weekly drop in that seasonally adjusted figure.

But the number of people claiming extended benefits from the feds after exhausting their 26 weeks of state payments rose yet again to about 4.1 million in the week ending Oct. 24, up from more than 3.9 million the prior week.

Those extra federal benefits are due to run out on Dec. 26, putting workers on the edge of a fiscal cliff unless Congress acts to keep the program going.

The labor market’s recent growth could also face obstacles going into the winter as local and state officials move to stem the virus’s spread. Chicago issued a “stay-at-home advisory” on Thursday amid a spike in COVID-19 cases, a day after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo set a 10 p.m. curfew for the state’s restaurants and bars.

“The clock is ticking,” said Andrew Stettner, an unemployment expert and a senior fellow at the Century Foundation think tank. “It would be unconscionable and unprecedented for Congress to cut off aid to millions of jobless workers the day after Christmas in the face of a worsening pandemic.”