Coronavirus: Foxconn wants to quarantine employees

Foxconn appears to be continuing to work on resuming production in China on time on February 10. Now Apple's manufacturer has a new idea.

Foxconn has announced a new plan to ensure the production of new iPhones and prevent the spread of coronavirus. The company plans to quarantine its own employees. This will allow the main plant in Zhengzhou to be put back into operation. It is located around 300 kilometers from Wuhan - the epicenter of the coronavirus. The news channel writes Bloomberg:

Apple's main manufacturing partner plans to officially resume work on February 10 after an extended New Year break to combat the outbreak. But Hon Hai said in a statement on Wednesday that workers returning from Henan province, the location of the main Zhengzhou plant, will be placed in solitary confinement for 14 days. All employees who report for work and live in the province itself will be isolated for 7 days, the company added.

Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, makes the vast majority of the world's iPhones in Zhengzhou, central China. The company has become a high-profile symbol of how the outbreak, which has killed about 500 people worldwide, could disrupt the global supply of made-in-China electronics.

Foxconn wants to avoid production stoppage

Most Foxconn employees live near the production plant and only go home on weekends. Implementing the quarantine plans should therefore not be a problem. The Chinese government has asked manufacturers such as Foxconn, Quanta Computer, Inventec and Co. to keep their plants closed after February 10. But that would have a negative impact on the further iPhone production which is why Foxconn is trying very hard to find a solution. Of course, the Chinese government could impose a production stop, but Foxconn actually seems to be trying every means possible to find a solution to prevent exactly that. Whether the plan will succeed remains to be seen. (Photo by Maridav / Bigstockphoto)