Apple supplier in Vietnam having more COVID-related labor issues

An uptick in coronavirus cases in Vietnam is forcing supply chain manufacturers for Apple and others to operate well below capacity as a mitigation effort.

A new COVID outbreak has left Vietnam scrambling to contain the disease in 2021. Factories have begun mitigation efforts for the latest outbreak spikes, hoping to avoid the factory shutdowns that were commonplace in 2020.

A source at an Apple supplier had reported that the factory had split its workforce over two shifts. The source also says that the changes are temporary for now, with the current measures expected to last two weeks.

"Otherwise, the supply chain will be more or less disrupted," the source told Reuters.

Many factories are now operating well below capacity to allow for easier social distancing and employee management. Further complicating matters, Hanoi has shut down restaurants and banned gatherings in an attempt to stop the spread of the disease.

Apple is having supplier labor manning issues across the globe.

In May, Apple suppliers Foxconn and Luxshare had been forced to shut down factories in Northern Vietnam as coronavirus cases began to rise. Thirteen employees at Wistron and Foxconn factories in India recently tested positive for COVID-19.

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