The company has announced that Chinese iPhone maker Foxconn will relax most of the corona measures at its factory in Zhengzhou.
Foxconn is now stopping requiring employees to limit their daily commutes between their dorms and campus. The company is also reopening its cafeterias on campus.
The factory has become the centrepiece of China’s efforts to contain infections. Foxconn founder Terry Gou recently warned the government that the strict measures would damage China’s position in the global economy.
Last month, corona broke out in Zhengzhou, including in Foxconn’s factory, also known as iPhone City. Staff then left the factory because they did not want to share dormitories with people who had to be quarantined. They also had to work extra long shifts to cope with the illness. At one point, riots broke out between workers and security guards in the factory.
In October, thousands of workers fled the factory due to chronic food shortages. The problems caused the production of iPhones to drop sharply. Although Foxconn makes about seventy percent of Apple’s iPhones, the factory in Zhengzhou produces the majority of the more expensive variants, such as the current iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
