Central China workers began fleeing one of the world’s largest iPhone assembly factories following a COVID-19 outbreak in the surrounding city of Zhengzhou.
After some Foxconn factory workers were quarantined with the virus, local officials drew up plans to isolate workers who were fleeing to their hometowns.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media platforms show people said to be factory workers climbing over fences and walking down a road carrying their belongings.
The people of China are growing more discontent with the government’s “zero-COVID” strategy, where the state seeks to eradicate outbreaks by implementing strict testing, isolation, and lockdown measures where infections are detected.
A Foxconn factory worker named Yuan said, “We were shut in on October 14, and we had to do endless PCR tests, and after about 10 days, we had to wear n95 masks, and were given traditional Chinese medicine.”
“People would be called away in the middle of work, and if they don’t show up the next day, that would mean they had been taken away,” he said, adding that he heard that around 20,000 workers had been quarantined on-site.
A 21-year-old worker surnamed Li said, “Food for tens of thousands was merely left outside [of the quarantine buildings].” The food was placed outside of the quarantine buildings by volunteers from nearby villages.
While Li still works for Foxconn, she said she is planning to quit.
Foxconn is the largest supplier to Apple Inc. and currently employs roughly 200,000 workers at its Zhengzhou factory.
The City of Zhengzhou reported 167 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in the seven days leading up to October 29, higher than the 97 infections in the prior seven-day period.
In a statement on Monday, Foxconn said the reports of 20,000 staff being diagnosed with COVID were false but did not disclose how many workers were infected.
On Sunday, the manufacturer said it will not prevent workers from leaving the factory. Nearby cities, including Yuzhou, Changge, and Qinyang, have urged workers to report to local authorities before going home.
While dine-in canteens were banned on October 19, the company said, “The government agreed to resume dine-in meals to improve the convenience and satisfaction of employees’ lives.”
“At the same time, for some employees who want to return home, the [plant] is cooperating with the government to organize personnel and vehicles to provide a point-to-point orderly return service for employees from today,” said Foxconn.