Medical workers in protective suits collect swabs from workers for nucleic acid testing at a Foxconn factory, following new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei province, China August 5, 2021. China Daily via
Medical workers in protective suits collect swabs from workers for nucleic acid testing at a Foxconn factory, following new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei province, China August 5, 2021. China Daily via Reuters / CHINA DAILY

Major Apple Inc supplier Foxconn plans to use a COVID bubble arrangement that allowed its Shenzhen campus to resume production until at least Sunday, according to an internal document seen by Reuters.

The world's largest contract electronics maker said on Wednesday it had restarted some production and operations at its Shenzhen campuses after arranging for some staff to live and work in a bubble, an arrangement requested by the local government as it battles the spread of COVID.

The "closed-loop management" system in its campuses there will last until midnight on Sunday, according to an internal document seen by Reuters and confirmed by two people familiar with the matter.

The company, formally called Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, has seen "limited" impact so far but some managers are worried about the bubble arrangement extending beyond Sunday as it meant the campus was not working at full production, one of the sources, who's not authorised to speak to the media, said.

Foxconn referred Reuters to its earlier statement, in which the company said it adheres to strict industry guidelines and policies issued by the Shenzhen government.

Only a small part of Foxconn's production for Apple's iPhone production in China takes place in the southern city of Shenzhen, with the majority happening in Zhengzhou in the central province of Henan, the two sources said.