(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) China is allegedly experiencing a surge of COVID cases, and a consequence is locking down Zhengzhou, where the big tech company makes most iPhones.
China reported it had documented over 31,000 new COVID cases in the 24 hours prior to Thanksgiving Day, according to Axios.
China had recently attempted to lift some of its sanctions for the sake of its economy, but it is now isolating parts of the city “block by block.”
Panick buying has led to severe shortages of goods, and Chinese supermarkets have turned off remote ordering applications because they were overwhelming the stores and the software.
Over 6.5 million Chinese in Zhengzhou have been affected by the new COVID lockdowns.
Xi Jinping, China’s Communist dictator, has announced that there will be even more delays in the production of Apple’s iPhone 14. This comes after an announcement that the iPhone 14 Pro would be severely delayed.
This halt comes at the most important time of the year for Apple; these delays will affect the consumer fest formerly known as Christmas and now referred to as “the holiday season.”
The timing of the COVID surge and lockdowns is suspicious. As late as the 23rd of November, police clad in hazmat gear were beating thousands of employees of Apple’s manufacturing subcontractor, Foxconn, according to Politico.
The employees report being promised a much higher wage to work for Foxconn, but upon arrival being told that they were only eligible for the higher pay rate after months of employment. The employees also report being forced to live in the factories where they work, and unsanitary and unsafe living and working conditions.
One protestor said, “Foxconn released very tempting recruiting offers, and workers from all parts of the country came, only to find they were being made fools of.”
The complaints led to the protests, which were violently quelled by the Communist party. Foxconn, of course, denies any wrongdoing and says the complaints have no merit.
