Those struggling to get their hands on a brand-new iPhone 14 might continue to do so, with Apple's supply chain hit with a new COVID-19 lockdown.
Reports of a COVID-19 outbreak were already coming out of Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory in China, but a new report says that the entire Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone — the industrial park where the factory is located — is now in lockdown. The move comes after a local governor urged tighter restrictions in the area amid ongoing COVID-19 struggles.
Infections rising
Amid ongoing reports of employees fleeing the Foxconn factory for fear of being infected, the wider industrial park has now been locked down in an attempt to wrangle control of a virus that threatens to impact iPhone production yet further.
A Wall Street Journal report says that the lockdown began at noon on November 2 in an attempt to deal with a “severe and complicated” spread of the virus. Henan Gov. Wang Kai, during a visit Tuesday, told officials that they had to work to ensure that COVID-19 protocols were being adhered to.
Foxconn had already put a closed loop in place, with employees eating and sleeping in their dorms to avoid congregating in group areas. The company has also increased bonuses in an attempt to ensure that workers remain in place too.
Apple's iPhone 14 lineup has been on sale for a little over a month at the time of writing, with stock shortages continuing across most models and configurations. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that the company was working to make it easier for customers to buy a new iPhone, but the ongoing COVID-19 situation in China will harden his resolve to move manufacturing capacity outside the country where possible.
It was reported earlier this year that Apple was looking to expand manufacturing beyond Chinese borders with situations like this in mind.
