Apple Supplier Foxconn Partially Reopens Factories Hit by COVID-19 Lockdown
Foxconn's campuses in Shenzhen, China, had shut down on Monday.
The Foxconn logo can be seen atop company headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan.
After pausing production on Monday due to a local spike in COVID-19 cases, Apple supplier Foxconn is partially reopening its two campuses in Shenzhen, China, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
Though Shenzhen, a tech hub near Hong Kong, remains in a government-mandated lockdown, the campus reopening will allow some production to resume in the facilities. Foxconn is one of Apple's top suppliers of iPhones and other devices. Throughout the pandemic, Apple has pushed through delays and manufacturing challenges, releasing the iPhone 12 on time in 2020.
Shenzhen is allowing "factory bubbles," where workers get frequent testing and can only move between the facilities and their on-campus housing, according to the Bloomberg report. Foxconn said in a statement that it's implementing a "closed-loop management process," a local government-approved strategy for campuses where workers live.
"In applying this closed-loop management process within the Shenzhen campus and in implementing the required health measures for the employees who live on campus, some operations have been able to restart and some production is being carried out at those campuses," the Foxconn statement said. "The company will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities in monitoring these operations very closely."
Since Sunday, Shenzhen has reported at least 60 new COVID-19 cases each day, following months of very little contagion.
Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.