It employs more than 200,000 people and is the world’s largest factory producing iPhone phones. Dozens of workers at an industrial site in Zhengzhou, central China, fled to escape company lockdown after an outbreak of Covid-19 cases was detected, footage shows on social networks.
A “small number” of cases have been detected, the company said last week, without specifying how many. She had described as “completely false” the rumors on the Internet reporting tens of thousands of contaminations.
The Taiwanese group Foxconn, which manages the factory, assured that the employees were tested every day and placed in confinement on site. But videos circulating on social media over the weekend showed dozens of workers, some carrying suitcases, fleeing the site by climbing over the fence and then walking along the road to return home. them on foot.
The fugitives invited to declare themselves
Local authorities have asked fleeing employees to register upon arrival and then observe a multi-day quarantine at home. The Taiwanese group said it was “cooperating with the government to organize staff and vehicles” and allow employees to leave if they wish.
Foxconn, whose Zhengzhou factory is the one that manufactures the most iPhones in the world, said it was facing a “long battle” against the outbreak of Covid-19 detected, without specifying the number of confined employees.
Henan province, where Zhengzhou is located, officially declared only 42 new cases on Monday. LONG China Labor Watch accused the Foxconn group of hiding the true number of cases among its employees and forcing those who are sick to continue working, citing an internal message sent to staff as well as testimonies from employees.
Many confinements
China is the last major economy to apply a zero Covid-19 policy, which translates into confinements as soon as positive cases appear, almost compulsory PCR tests several times a week or the placement in quarantine of people from areas at risk.
These measures, which lead to the unexpected closure of businesses and factories, weigh heavily on the economy.