Cities in central China rapidly devised measures to segregate returning migrant workers from Foxconn’s sizable assembly plant in the Covid-19-affected Zhengzhou city in order to prevent coronavirus outbreaks.
The number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, increased from 97 to 167 in the seven days leading up to October 29. The number of affected employees at Taiwan-based Foxconn, which employs roughly 300,000 people in Zhengzhou, has not been made public.
Localities must move quickly to contain any outbreaks under China’s rigorous zero-Covid-19 regulations, which may include measures like complete lockdowns.
On October 19, Foxconn forbade any dining-in at canteens and mandated that employees eat in their dorm rooms, but they gave the assurance that production would continue as usual.
Since Saturday, numerous images and videos have been making the rounds on Chinese social media, showing Foxconn employees walking across fields during the day and along roadways at night. The validity of the posts could not immediately be confirmed by Reuters.
According to social media posts, locals apparently showed their support by leaving food, water, and posters that read “For Foxconn workers coming home,” along with main routes.
