Cities in central China have hastily drawn up plans to isolate migrant workers fleeing to their hometowns from the world’s largest iPhone factory, amid fears they will spread a coronavirus outbreak from Zhengzhou where the Foxconn plant is based.

The city, capital of central Henan province, reported 167 locally transmitted Covid cases in the seven days to 29 October, up from 97 infections in the previous seven-day period.

Apple supplier Foxconn, headquartered in Taiwan, currently has about 200,000 workers at its Zhengzhou complex and has not disclosed the number of infected workers, nor the number who have left, but said on Sunday that it would not stop them from departing.

Late on Saturday, nearby cities including Yuzhou, Changge and Qinyang urged Foxconn workers to report to local authorities before heading home.

Returning workers are to travel “point-to-point” in pre-arranged vehicles and are to be quarantined on arrival, they said in separate letters on their respective social media accounts addressed to Zhengzhou Foxconn workers.

Under China’s ultra-strict zero-Covid policy, cities are mandated to act swiftly to quell any outbreaks, with measures that could include full-scale lockdowns. On 19 October, Foxconn banned all dining in at canteens and required workers to take their meals in their dormitories.

“The government agreed to resume dine-in meals to improve the convenience and satisfaction of employees’ lives,” Foxconn said on Sunday.

“At the same time, for some employees who want to return home, the [plant] is cooperating with the government to organise personnel and vehicles to provide a point-to-point orderly return service for employees from today.”

Disruptions from China’s Covid policies to commerce and industry have intensified in recent weeks as cases multiplied.

Shanghai Disneyland said on Saturday it would operate at reduced capacity. On Wednesday, Universal Beijing Resort was suspended after the visit of one infected individual.

“We are very aware that under the current situation, it is a protracted battle,” Foxconn said. But the situation was gradually coming under control, it added, saying Foxconn would coordinate back-up production capacity with its other plants to reduce any potential impact.

Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the Foxconn situation.

Photographs and videos circulating on Chinese social media since Saturday appear to show Foxconn workers returning home, trekking across fields in the day and along roads at night.

In a show of support, residents in the vicinity left bottled water and provisions next to roads with signs such as: “For Foxconn workers returning home,” according to social media posts.

“Some people were walking amid wheat fields with their luggage, blankets and quilts,” wrote a user of WeChat in a post about the social media images. “I couldn’t help but feel sad.”