The overall U.S. trade deficit narrowed in February to the lowest level in more than three years as imports declined more than exports did, the U.S. Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The trade deficit in goods and services fell by 12.2 percent to 39.9 billion U.S. dollars in February from a revised 45.5 billion dollars in January, the department said. It marked the smallest trade gap since September 2016.

Exports fell by 0.4 percent to 207.5 billion dollars in February, while imports fell by 2.5 percent to 247.5 billion dollars, led by fewer imports of capital goods, industrial supplies and materials, and consumer goods, according to the department.

The latest data showed that foreign trade had diminished even before the international spread of COVID-19 caused significant disruption to global supply chains in March.

The decline in overall imports also signals weakening consumer demand and economic growth in the coming months as the pandemic started to have a negative impact on the U.S. economy.

The U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of initial jobless claims in the United States surged by 3.34 million to reach 6.65 million last week, the latest evidence the COVID-19 outbreak has devastated the economy.