HONG KONG (HPD) — Workers at a factory in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou appear to have left to avoid COVID-19 restrictions, with many traveling on foot for days after an unknown number of employees were quarantined. at the facility after a virus outbreak.
Videos on Chinese social media show alleged Foxconn employees climbing fences and carrying their belongings as they walk down a highway.
Foxconn’s plant in Zhengzhou, in Henan province, is one of the largest factories in China that assembles products for Apple Inc., including the new iPhone 14s.
It is not clear if the workers leaving the facility had escaped or if they were allowed to leave.
Foxconn has not commented on the matter.
People in nearby villages delivered food and drinks to Foxconn workers. One such volunteer in Xingyang county, who asked to be identified only by his surname Zhang for privacy reasons, said the people in a video posted on the Douyin platform were Foxconn workers because they would have to take that road if they left. of the facilities.
The exodus comes after reports that Foxconn has quarantined several workers following an outbreak of COVID-19 at the factory.
Foxconn’s Zhengzhou facility can accommodate up to 350,000 workers, but it’s unclear how many currently work there or how many were affected by coronavirus restrictions.
Earlier this week, local press reported that a “closed loop” system had been implemented at the factory that restricted workers’ movements between their residence and the plant.
Reports said Foxconn workers complained about poor quality food and a lack of medical care for those who tested positive. The company denied rumors that 20,000 people at the plant had been infected with COVID-19.
___
Video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.