More Swiss companies ask for aid than during financial crisis

ZURICH (Reuters) - Record numbers of Swiss companies have applied for government aid to overcome shutdowns and reduced output as the coronavirus outbreak grips the country, the government said on Monday.So far in March 21,000 companies have applied for support to help 315,000 workers put on short working hours, Boris Zuercher, head of the labour department at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, told a news conference in Bern.The figure was significantly more than the 11,000 workers..