SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — New figures show the number of people requesting unemployment assistance in Utah last week dropped below 5,000 for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in the United States but remained at a rate far higher than normal. Utah officials said Thursday that 4,996 people applied for unemployment in the week ending May 30. That was a 8% drop from the previous week and the eighth consecutive week that claims have decreased since a peak of 33,000 in the week ending April 4. But the weekly figure was 444% higher than the same time last year. Utah has gradually allowed many businesses to reopen since May 1.