Apple Inc. is warning customers they’ll have to wait longer to get its latest iPhone models after anti-virus restrictions were imposed on a contractor’s factory in central China.
Factory operating at reduced capacity
The company announcement Sunday gave no details but said the factory operated by Foxconn in the central city of Zhengzhou is “operating at significantly reduced capacity.”
“We now expect lower iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max shipments than we previously anticipated,” the company said. “Customers will experience longer wait times to receive their new products.”
Foxconn Technology Group said earlier it imposed anti-virus measures on the factory in Zhengzhou following virus outbreaks. Apple and Foxconn previously hadn’t responded to questions about how iPhone production might be affected.
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Employee exodus
Last week, access to the industrial zone where the factory is located was suspended for one week following a surge in infections in Zhengzhou and the departure of workers from the factory.
The lockdown is expected to cause further disruptions to the plant, which in recent weeks has seen a spate of coronavirus infections and an exodus of workers, some of whom fled the factory on foot.
‘Working to attain normal production levels’
Foxconn said in a statement that it is revising its outlook for this quarter downward due to the lockdown. The last quarter of the year is typically a busy season for companies like Foxconn as they ramp up production ahead of the end of year holiday rush.
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“Foxconn is now working with the government in a concerted effort to stamp out the pandemic and resume production to its full capacity as quickly as possible,” the company said Monday.
It also said that the provincial government has said it will “fully support” Foxconn in managing the plant’s pandemic prevention and operation situation.
In a post on the Zhengzhou plant’s WeChat social media account Sunday, the company said a “closed loop” system would restrict its employees’ travel between their dormitories and the factory area to manage risks of COVID-19 transmission.
“We are working closely with our supplier to return to normal production levels while ensuring the health and safety of every worker,” Apple said.
China’s Zero Covid regime
China's 'Zero Covid' policy is in contrast with the 'living with virus' approach the rest of the world has taken.
Under the 'Zero Covid' approach, the Chinese authorities respond to infections with blanket lockdowns and tough quarantines with the idea of limiting public movement in an area to eradicate the infections and transmission.
In the rest of the world, targeted measures such as quarantine of the infected, isolation of suspected contacts, and tracing of close contacts is carried out, and cities and towns are no longer locked down. Even when there are bigger outbreaks, particular apartment blocks or neighborhoods get focussed measures rather than the broader city or town.
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Through the year, China has locked several millions of people for weeks and months in cities like Shanghai and Beijing under the 'Zero Covid' policy.
This policy has seen mounting public frustrations and widespread protests in the country in recent months. In fact, just days before a major Chinese Communist Party meeting this month, posters appeared in China's capital Beijing which called President Xi Jinping a "tyrant" and "dictator" over Zero Covid policies.
(With inputs from AP)
