Villages near Foxconn plant expand plans to isolate returning migrant staff
Cities in central China have drawn up plans to isolate migrant staff fleeing to their hometowns from the country’s largest iPhone factory, fearing they could spread the coronavirus after leaving the covid-hit Zhengzhou factory.
Videos shared on Chinese social media showed others believed to be Foxconn factory staff climbing fences and using their belongings along a road. In the past, several staff members were reported to have been quarantined due to an outbreak of the disease.
Foxconn, a Taiwan-based Apple supplier, has about 200,000 employees at the Zhengzhou complex. He did not disclose the number of inflamed staff, nor the number of those who left, but said Sunday that would not stop them from leaving.
Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, reported 167 covid cases transmitted in the seven days to Oct. 29, up from 97 infections in the past seven days.
On Saturday night, nearby cities such as Yuzhou, Changge and Qinyang suggested that Foxconn inform the local government before returning home.
Returnees were to “go from point to point” in repaired cars and quarantined upon arrival, the government said in separate letters posted on social media to workers in Zhengzhou Foxconn.
Photographs and videos circulating on Chinese social media since Saturday gave the impression of showing Foxconn staff returning home, crossing fields during the day and roads at night.
“Other people were walking through the wheat fields with their luggage, blankets and quilts,” one WeChat user wrote in an article about the social media footage. “I still couldn’t be sad. “
Volunteers from nearby villages distributed food and drink to Foxconn workers. One of the volunteers, who asked to be known only as Zhang for confidentiality reasons, was in charge of distributing the materials prepared by his village in Xingyang County.
He said the other people shown in a video he uploaded to the Douyin platform were Foxconn workers, as they would have had to take that address if they left the facility.
Under China’s ultra-strict zero-covid policy, cities were ordered to act temporarily to quell any outbreaks, with prospective measures such as large-scale lockdowns. On October 19, Foxconn banned all food in dining rooms and forced them to eat food in their dormitories. .
“The government agreed to resume dinners for employee comfort and life satisfaction,” Foxconn said Sunday.
Sign up for business today
Get ready for the workday: we’ll let you know all the trading news and research you want every morning.
“At the same time, for some workers who wish to return home, [the factory] is cooperating with the government to organize and provide an orderly point-to-point return service for workers starting today. “
Disruptions of China’s Covid policies towards the industry have intensified in recent weeks as cases multiply.
Shanghai Disneyland announced Saturday that it would operate at reduced capacity. On Wednesday, Universal Beijing Resort was suspended after a layover on an inflamed person.
“We are well aware that in the existing scenario, this is a protracted battle,” Foxconn said. The scenario is gradually under control, the company added, and it would coordinate backup production capacity with its other plants to lessen any potential impact.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Foxconn’s situation.