China's COVID-19 Lockdown Could Affect iPhone 14 Production Ahead Of Christmas Shopping Season

Apple's iPhone production could be in peril as the Chinese industrial park where the world's biggest iPhone assembly plant stands has been put under lockdown over COVID-19.

Local authorities imposed a seven-day coronavirus restriction at the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone after 167 locally transmitted infections were recorded in the area last week, according to BBC.

The economic zone is home to the factory of Foxconn, one of Apple's largest manufacturers of iPhone. The plant currently has 200,000 workers and produces half of the iPhones globally, The New York Times reported.

Foxconn has confirmed that a "small number of employees" have been affected by the pandemic. The company is scrambling to control the outbreak as it could affect the production of iPhone 14, especially since the holidays are fast approaching.

A report by Reuters said that iPhone production for November could decline by as much as 30% due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

To remedy this, Foxconn quadrupled its bonus offers to stop workers from fleeing the Zhengzhou plant. Daily bonuses are now at $55 a day, while those who will work for more than 25 days monthly could receive bonuses as high as $684 per month.

The company has also required employees to get tested 24 hours before entering the industrial park and advised them to vaccinate against the virus.

Despite large bonuses and testing provisions, Foxconn workers still complain about late food deliveries and insufficient medical attention, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

"The company left infected patients to stay in the dorm with their roommates... how can the factory protect our safety like this?" one Weibo said.

"My wife is quarantined in her dorm in Foxconn, but she and her roommate have been having a fever for three days, and no one was there to deal with the situation," another user revealed.

An iPhone worker allegedly walked 25 miles for almost nine hours to escape from the manufacturing site.

Foxconn said they are providing transportation for workers who want to return to their homes, according to the Zhengzhou government's WeChat account.

China is implementing a "zero-COVID" policy, a series of extreme measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

China has resorted to the lockdown of entire communities for weeks, mass testing and separating COVID-positive patients from their families to achieve the policy goal.

The strict strategy caused outrage because of its heightened surveillance and alleged inadequate medical services.