Virginia and Hampton Roads have reported a second straight week of declines in unemployment claims.

The Virginia Employment Commission said 13,265 people statewide filed a new claim for the week ending Aug. 8. That’s a 45% decline compared with the previous week.

That figure also fell in Hampton Roads, where 1,823 people filed an initial claim — a nearly 63% drop from the week before.

Robert McNab, an Old Dominion University economist and director of the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy, said the continued declines were a clear sign of good economic news.