China continues to grapple with coronavirus outbreaks despite the Jinping regime’s Zero Covid policy. A recent wav has now grappled the Apple’s iPhones assembly plant in China. According to a report from CNBC, the Foxconn run factory in Zhengzhou was hit with a ‘small Covid outbreak.’
This assembly unit operated by the Taiwanese firm, officially known as Hon Hai Technology Group, is the world’s largest assembly plant for Apple’s iPhones. Although the Cupertino giant has sought to diversify its supply chain, including starting assembling iPhone 14 in India, Apple still relies massively on China for most of its iPhone production.
A spokesperson from the firm, however, assured that operation and production at its Zhengzhou facility is comparatively stable with health and safety measures for employees being managed, the news agency report added.
The spokesperson added, under regional laws to prevent outbreaks, Foxconn is offering the few employees affected by the pandemic the required assurances for their livelihoods, such as material supplies, comforting amenities, and timely feedback.
Resurgence of outbreak
This month, Zhengzhou, in the Henan region of central China, has been facing a fresh Covid outbreak. As China moves forward with its zero-Covid policy, the city has imposed lockdowns in select areas to combat the virus.
The Zhengzhou campus, which has about 300,000 workers, prohibited all dining in and mandated workers to take their meals back to their dormitories, Reuters reported. Foxconn stated on its official WeChat account that employees need to wear mor safe N95 masks. Additionally, it limited movement by barring some exits and requiring employees to travel to their workplaces only along specific routes, South China Morning Post stated.
The CNBC report states that the company’s stand highlights the balancing act compelled by manufacturing facilities to satisfy customer demand under Beijing’s tough Covid policy. Even so, Foxconn claimed that the effect on the business is “controllable” and that the operating forecast for this quarter has not changed.