Chinese officials lock down area near Foxconn's main iPhone factory

Foxconn plant

According to Bloomberg, some areas in the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone have been placed under strict lockdowns measures with residents being unable to leave their homes for most purposes. The economy zone is where Foxconn's primary iPhone assembly plant is located.

The lockdown comes just a day after officials in the city implemented mandatory testing measures — a sign that many took as a herald of impending quarantines.

Chinese officials have taken a zero-tolerance policy to Covid cases, with lockdowns being implemented even after only a few cases are detected.

Similar measures are being seen in the key manufacturing city of Kunshan, home to Apple suppliers and assembly partners like Pegatron, Wistron, Quanta, and Luxshare Precision. Many factories belonging to those Apple partners have been shuttered since early April.

It isn't clear how the lockdowns will affect iPhone supply, but there's a chance that they will — particularly if they aren't lifted quickly. Many analysts believe that Foxconn remaining operational was key to Apple's iPhone supply being unaffected.

This isn't the first time that Foxconn has been shut down in 2022. Back in March, its operations in Shenzhen were halted for a few days because of a local lockdown order. Foxconn was able to resume production just a couple of days later in that case, however.