William Gallagher
The Chinese authorities have ordered iPhone assembler Foxconn to operate under a tightly restricted "closed loop" system for a week in the latest attempts to combat the coronavirus.
China's latest move is much smaller-scale than its previous region-wide coronavirus lockdowns, which dramatically affected very many Apple suppliers. According to Bloomberg, Foxconn is one of 100 companies in the Shenzen area subjected to new restrictions for seven days.
Specifically, the "closed loop" restriction requires the companies to limit staffing to only those workers already living within a bubble. Factory workers are required to have little or no contact with anyone outside their immediate working area.
Chinese authorities also require the companies to minimize the contact between factory floor staff and other workers.
A Foxconn spokesperson told Bloomberg that its Shenzen operations "remained normal." Other companies, which declined to comment, include Huawei Technologies Co, ZTE Corp, and drone-maker DJI.
Foxconn initially escaped China's lockdowns in April 2022. However, the expected short-term COVID prevention measures then continued for some many weeks.
The restrictions come as Foxconn continues to ramp up production and staffing ahead of Apple's iPhone 14 launch.
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7 Comments
They are completely ridiculous there in the Chinese government. This is nothing more than political means of pressure
This is what authoritarian governments do . . . to keep fear, disruption, isolation, and panic going around the world.
Let’s call this what it is — Martial Law.
The comments so far in this thread give light to the uninformed Western mentality — that COVID is no longer a concern (or never was?). They fail to realize that COVID is still very much a risk, and because of China's earlier handling, they avoided much of the mass infections, so now they are far more vulnerable.
Yes, I'm in Canada, triple-vaxxed, so no, I'm not judging from afar. :D
"minimize the contact between factory floor staff and other workers" - so, the executives and the janitorial staff are still free to rub elbows?