15 pct of Swiss working population apply for economic assistance due to coronavirus

The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said Saturday that 750,000 workers, or 15 percent of the Swiss working population, have applied for partial unemployment, a mean to obtain economic assistance from the government amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The rate climbs to 39 percent in the country's northern canton of Ticino, which borders Italy and was hit hardest by the pandemic in Switzerland, SECO said.

As one of the countries affected badly by the coronavirus, Switzerland has decided to allocate 42 billion CHF (44.15 billion U.S. dollars) of financial assistance to support Swiss companies and employees during the pandemic.

Switzerland reported 1,052 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, raising the total in the country to 13,213. The death toll now rose to 235.