Good news if you’re looking for an iPhone 14 Pro. In particular, according to Bloomberg, Foxconn has suspended the system that prevented employees from traveling between their outdoor dormitories and the factory campus. Foxconn has also reopened its on-site cafeterias and will no longer provide free meals. The company will continue to offer free meals only to Covid patients who choose to stay in company-designated accommodations.
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However, Foxconn will now have to deal with the potential increase in sick staff and a possible shortage of workers, but in fact the situation is unblocking.
The Zhengzhou plant, which employs around 200,000 people, was hit by severe COVID-19 restrictions last month after a factory outbreak, which led to the city being locked down by around 10 million people. Riots broke out soon after as workers protested the standard of living at the plant and the non-payment of promised bonuses, which Foxconn later blamed on a “technical error” when hiring new staff.
The Zhengzhou plant is Foxconn’s largest iPhone factory and the company is responsible for assembling about 70% of the iPhones, but has been struggling to keep employees on the job due to various restrictions, so much so that production decreased by about 30% causing delays in iPhone deliveries, especially with regard to the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max (practically impossible to get for Christmas, at least from Apple channels).
The availability of the iPhone 14 Pro is already improving and between the end of December and the beginning of January the situation should stabilize.