Chinese authorities on Wednesday imposed confinement on about 600,000 people in the area around the world’s largest iPhone factory, after dozens of workers fled for fear of restrictions due to an outbreak of covid there.
The Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone (center), where the factory of Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn is located, began seven days of confinement today, according to an official statement.
The factory, which employs more than 200,000 people, has been closed since mid-October following an outbreak of the coronavirus. The site is about 600 km southwest of Beijing.
“It’s still operating on a closed circuit,” Foxconn told AFP on Wednesday.
According to analysts quoted in the press, the industrial complex, which has three factories and employs around 350,000 people, ensures the assembly of around 80% of the iPhone 14, the latest model from the American giant Apple.
To no longer be so dependent on China, Apple announced in September that it would outsource some of its production to India, where about 3% of iPhones are already made.
– Claims –
Last week, images surfaced on Chinese social media of workers fleeing the factory, some jumping over a fence and returning home on foot after traveling long distances.
Workers complained online about the poor working conditions and said they had to flee the factory to avoid Covid restrictions.
The NGO China Labor Watch, citing employee testimonials, said sick workers had to continue working with others, and that many positive and contact cases were isolated in a neighboring building under construction.
As of this Wednesday, the more than 600,000 inhabitants of the economic zone, with the exception of covid prevention volunteers and essential workers, “will not be able to leave the house” except for imperative reasons, such as carrying out covid tests and emergency medical treatment.
The authorities also indicated that only medical vehicles or vehicles carrying essential goods will be allowed to transit. And they warned that they would be “uncompromising with any kind of violation.”
To keep employees, Foxconn announced on Tuesday that employees will receive a daily bonus of 400 yuan ($55) for reporting to work, four times the previous bonus of 100 yuan a day.
Employees will also receive additional bonuses if they show up for work for 15 days or more in November, up to 15,000 yuan if they register full attendance this month.
Foxconn admitted that it faces a “long battle” against Covid, but did not specify the number of employees who have tested positive or are confined at its Zhengzhou factory.
China is the last major economy in the world to maintain a zero covid strategy, which consists of eliminating the circulation of the virus through confinement, mass testing and long quarantines.
On Wednesday, China reported more than 2,000 new infections for the third day in a row, leading to new restrictions.
The territory of Macau announced tests for its 700,000 inhabitants after detecting several cases, which caused the closure of one of its casinos.
Industrial hub Guangzhou, meanwhile, announced partial closures in several districts on Monday and on Tuesday reported more than 520 new infections.
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