COVID-19: China Locks Down Central China's Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone

COVID-19: China Locks Down Central China’s Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone.

Authorities in China locked down the area surrounding the world’s largest iPhone factory on Wednesday after workers fled the facility to avoid a virus outbreak and the resulting restrictions.

NDTV reports that all people except Covid-prevention volunteers and essential workers have been told that they “must not leave their residences except to receive Covid tests and emergency medical treatment”.

The move comes after images emerged last week on Chinese social media showing people breaking out of the facility, run by Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn which employs hundreds of thousands of workers.

Employees were complaining online of poor conditions and having to flee the factory on foot to avoid Covid transport curbs.

China is the last major economy committed to a zero-Covid strategy, persisting with snap lockdowns, mass testing, and lengthy quarantines in a bid to stamp out emerging outbreaks.

But new variants have tested local officials’ ability to snuff out flare-ups faster than they can spread, causing much of the country to live under an ever-changing mosaic of Covid curbs.

The district in Zhengzhou city said Wednesday that all businesses would be required to work from home, with only “key enterprises” allowed to continue operating, without specifying which businesses fell under this category.

Only medical vehicles and those delivering essentials are allowed on the streets.

The district’s more than 600,000 residents will have to take nucleic acid tests every day, the local government said, warning that it would “resolutely crack down on all kinds of violations.”