China’s iPhone city goes to extreme lengths to meet zero-Covid demands

“Do not spray disinfectant directly on people; do not sterilise outdoor air; do not conduct large-scale disinfection of the external environment including greening, roads and walls,” Wang Tong, a Shanghai health official, said in a press briefing in April.

The extra measures taken by Zhengzhou show how local authorities continue to scramble to stay in line with Beijing’s rigid zero-Covid policy at the first signs of any new cases. Strict Covid-19 measures, which also included a lockdown in Shenzhen this year, have undermined investor confidence in China as a stable manufacturing base and accelerated the relocation of facilities to other markets.

Henan health authorities recorded 27 positive cases on Friday, all in Zhengzhou, up from 20 cases in the city the previous day. Some of the cases were on the campus of the largest iPhone assembly plant in the world, operated by Apple’s largest supplier Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Technology Group.

In the midst of peak iPhone production season as Apple prepares for the holidays, Foxconn has sealed off its Zhengzhou campus since last Wednesday to maintain operations, banning eating in cafeterias and requiring workers to take their meals back to their dormitories.

One Foxconn worker, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, said on Saturday that he has seen a soaring number of positive cases on the campus in the last few days. The campus manager did not act quickly enough to separate those who tested positive from the rest of the workers, this person said.

Another worker said the actual number of cases at the plant is “much higher” than reported.

Foxconn confirmed to the Post earlier this week that “a small number” of workers on the Zhengzhou campus were affected by Covid-19 while production remained “relatively stable”. The company denied rumours that nearly 20,000 workers had tested positive.

Some workers have tried to escape the sealed campus to head back to their hometowns in neighbouring cities, one of the workers said, describing current on-site living conditions as “terrible”.

The Zhengzhou campus has about 300,000 workers, a large proportion of which come from other cities in Henan.

Some cities have taken a hostile stance towards those returning from Zhengzhou, asking other residents to report the workers to authorities. However, multiple counties and cities, including the city of Changge and Xihua county, have published notices online saying they are prepared to welcome returning workers as long as they follow quarantine rules.