An employee at the world’s largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China, walked nearly nine hours from his home after leaving the compound to escape harsh COVID restrictions, Bloomberg reported.
Foxconn’s 200,000-employee complex has established a dramatic “closed-loop” formula to enforce China’s zero-COVID policy after a recent outbreak of the disease. Staff received a critical feed of instant bread and noodles.
Dong Wanwan, 20, said she and her 19-year-old brother walked 25 miles to get home after the lockdown made their lives miserable. She had been running around the complex for 3 months to collect iPhones.
On Monday, Foxconn raised wages to $5. 20 an hour, a 36 percent increase, to try to keep more employees out of the factory that produces nearly a portion of the world’s iPhones.
Thousands of employees are believed to have left, and other cities in China are drawing up plans to isolate staff who died for fear they will only spread COVID, according to Reuters. Foxconn did not disclose the number of other people who left, nor the number of infections at the site.
“Foxconn screwed it up,” Dong told Bloomberg. No I think a lot of other people need to go back. I know I wouldn’t. “
The company said Sunday it would not prevent staff, who share dormitories with up to 11 other people, from leaving the premises.
Neither Apple nor Foxconn responded to Insider’s requests for comment.
Over the weekend, videos and images spread on Chinese social media showing hitchhiking or walking on roads with luggage.
Dong’s turmoil began when he reported a lack of blood in expired October. After having a fever of 103 degrees and getting stuck in bed, she tried to call the workers’ hotline and local hospitals, but none of her calls were successful.
And on WeChat, China’s leading messaging app, the organization’s chat with colleagues fell silent after Dong called for help. She says she would have run out of food and medicine if her manager hadn’t forced her colleagues to send supplies.
Dong and his brother’s 25-mile adventure began at 8 a. m. a few days later. Although the domain is blocked, friendly citizens left snacks and water near the road after witnessing the commotion on social media.
They hitchhiked into the back of a truck for part of the trip, before nonetheless achieving a stage dominance set up by officials to send Foxconn personnel. Dong estimated there were about 500 employees at the time, according to Bloomberg.
From there, the couple was sent to another quarantine center at a number one school, Dong said, before the brothers arrived in their hometown.