Zhengzhou will be locked down for five days, as the Chinese authorities imposed because of the rapidly rising Covid-19 cases in the city. This is where Apple's largest manufacturing facility for iPhones is currently located, which might affect the Cupertino giant's production for their base and pro models.  

(Photo : Lintao Zhang/Getty Images))
BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 20: People wait in line for a swab test at a COVID-19 test on November 20, 2022 in Beijing, China. China is trying to contain a spike in coronavirus cases in the capital Beijing, placing some neighborhoods under lockdown where cases are found in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

'iPhone City' Lockdown

As the city enters a critical phase for Covid-19 cases, China imposed a five-day lockdown on the city of Zhengzhou. Bloomberg reported that main urban areas of the city will be locked down from November 25 to November 29 due to the rising cases. Almost 1,800 positive cases were reported the city in just two days. 

According to the released order by the authorities in China, people who are currently residing in high-risk areas must stay at home and are advised to not leave their residences if unnecessary.

PCR tests will also be conducted in these areas for them to monitor the current state of the city. Because of these restrictions, one of the affected facilities in the city will be Apple.

Zhengzhou is known as the 'iPhone City' of the country since this is where Apple's largest manufacturing facilities for iPhone is currently located. 

Before these restrictions were announced, hundreds of workers at the mentioned facility skipped their quarantine days of isolation to protest against the company as they delay payments for their employees and lack of food supply in dormitories.

Videos circulated on social media that show violent protests and defense outside the facility of Foxconn Technology Group.     

Main manufacturing areas disrupted supply chains and logistics which led to weaker demand locally and globally. The current wave that the country is currently facing escalated last October as the country receives new cases every day since.

It continuously increases despite conducting several lockdowns and mass tests across affected areas. Based on their current state, analysts stated that China might exit this pandemic for at least a year with April being the closest to reopening and slightly returning to the new normal. 

Also Read: Foxconn Workers Violently Protest for Delayed Bonus Payments in Zhengzhou Plant

Other Affected Areas

Aside from Zhengzhou, Aljazeera reported that Beijing's largest district Guangzhou also announced a five-day lockdown for the district that contains the most populated residents in the country.

These resulted in suspended dining services, night clubs shutdowns, and even the closing of movie theaters temporarily. Aside from these, online classes were implemented by the authorities in schools, as the city battles rapid cases of Covid-19 with 962 affected and 2 deaths last Monday.  

Related Article: Foxconn is Recruiting More Workers in its China Facility, Now Offering Bigger Bonus 

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Written by Inno Flores