Covid flare-up at world's largest iPhone factory in China affects operations

Large-scale Covid restrictions following sporadic outbreaks in China hampered business operations Wednesday. Businesses had to shut down and disruption of operations was reported from the world's largestiPhonefactory. The country reported just 1,241 new local cases on Wednesday, according to the National Health Commission.

However, a lot of them were reported from a factory in the central city of Zhengzhou that employs around 300,000 people and is known as the largest producer of iPhones in the world.

Foxconn Technology Group, which runs the facility, acknowledged the flare-up but said "operation and production... is relatively stable”.

"Health and safety measures for employees (are) being maintained," the Taiwanese electronics maker said. It also said that it was "providing the necessary guarantees for livelihoods, including material supplies, psychological comfort and responsive feedback".

There was no information about how many of the staff were affected, although the company did say that it was a”small number”. It also quashed online rumours that tens of thousands of infections were reported at the factory.

“At present, the epidemic prevention work in Zhengzhou is progressing steadily, and the impact... is controllable," the statement said.

"The operating outlook for this quarter remains unchanged," it added.

Beijing has been continuing with its zero-Covid strategy even as fast-spreading variants are becoming dominant, challenging the country’s approach. Snap lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines in a bid to keep infections to a minimum still persist.

The country is facing large-scale restrictions, with Wuhan once again being under lockdown. The Universal Resort theme park in Beijing has also been "closed temporarily... to implement epidemic control requirements".

"We will continue to evaluate the impact on operations and work hard to restore them as soon as possible", the resort said on its official Weibo social media account, without giving a timeline for reopening.

(With inputs from agencies)