iPhone Shipments Likely to be Delayed Due to Covid Restrictions at Foxconn Plant, Warns Apple

The Zhengzhou plant in central China,has been rocked by discontent over string ent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, with many workers fleeing the site.

Shanghai: As COVID curbs disrupt production at Apple Inc’s Foxconn compound in Zhengzhou in central China’s Henan Province, the tech giant has announced that it expects lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max shipments amid the restrictions in place.

“The facility is currently operating at significantly reduced capacity,” the iPhone maker said in a statement. “Customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products,” it added.

The Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, Henan province, is one of the largest factories in China that assembles products for Apple Inc., including its latest iPhone 14 devices. The tech giant’s statement comes nearly a week after videos showing people who are allegedly Foxconn workers climbing over fences and carrying their belongings down the road circulated on social media platforms. The workers reportedly walked out of their factory to avoid COVID-19 curbs after some coworkers were quarantined following a virus outbreak.

The Zhengzhou plant in central China,has been rocked by discontent over string ent measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, with many workers fleeing the site. The Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, Henan province, can accommodate up to 350,000 workers and is one of the largest factories in China assembling products for Apple Inc., including its latest iPhone 14 devices.

Not all the videos that showed workers purportedly leaving the facility could be verified. It was unclear if the workers leaving the facility had escaped or if they were allowed to leave.

Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, Taiwan’s Foxconn, Apple Inc’s biggest iPhone maker, said on Monday it was working to resume full production at a major plant in Zhengzhou that had been hit by COVID-19 curbs, and revised down its fourth quarter outlook.

Volunteers from nearby villages put out food and drinks for the Foxconn workers. One such volunteer, who asked to be identified only by his surname Zhang out of privacy concerns, was put in charge of distributing supplies that his village in Xingyang county had prepared. He said that the people shown in a video he uploaded to the short-video platform Douyin were Foxconn workers because they would have to take that road if they were leaving the facility.

It was unclear how many people are currently employed at the Zhengzhou factory, how many of them have left and how many were affected by factory’s COVID-19 curbs.

Earlier this week, media reports said the factory had implemented a “closed-loop” system largely restricting workers to movements between their residences and the plant.

Local media reports said that Foxconn workers complained of poor food quality and a lack of medical care for those who tested positive amid worries infections could be spreading. The company denied rumors that 20,000 people in the plant had been infected with COVID-19.

Cities near Zhengzhou have urged Foxconn workers to report to local authorities if they plan to return to their hometowns to allow preparation of appropriate isolation measures.

Posts on the Zhengzhou government’s public WeChat account said Foxconn issued notices Sunday to workers at the factory, pledging to ensure the safety, legitimate rights and incomes of those who stayed.

A day after the videos circulated of workers leaving the factory on foot, Foxconn and several local governments arranged transportation for employees choosing to return home. It wasn’t clear how much choice they were given in the matter.