China closes zone around iPhone factory after virus cases

Access to an industrial zone in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou was suspended Wednesday after the city reported 64 coronavirus cases and workers who assemble Apple Inc iPhones left their factory in the zone following outbreaksThe announcement did not say whether the isolation of the Zhengzhou Airport Economic Zone was related to cases at the Foxconn factory It gave no indication of what prompted the closure It said no one can enter or leave for one week except to deliver food and medical suppliesSeparately the government reported 64 confirmed cases had been found in Zhengzhou over the past 24 hours It said 294 asymptomatic cases also had been found in the city of 125 million It did not say how many were in the industrial zoneThe ruling Communist Party is enforcing a Zero COVID policy that has closed areas throughout China for weeks to try to isolate every caseAlso read Seoul Halloween stampede Death toll rises to 151 19 identified as foreignersThat has kept Chinas infection rate relatively low but has disrupted trade and business at a time when other countries are easing antivirus curbs Public frustration with the restrictions has boiled over into fights with police in some areasIn Zhengzhou everyone in the industrial zone will be tested every day for the coronavirus the Airport District said It did not say how many people might be affectedAreas throughout China tightened restrictions on movement and cancelled airline flights last month after new infections surged following the weeklong National Day holidayResidents of many parts of the Xinjiang region in the northwest were barred from leaving their homes in August and September People in Urumqi and other cities who said they had run out of food and medicine posted appeals for help on social mediaThousands of employees left the Foxconn Technology Group factory starting in midOctober after complaints people who contracted the virus received no treatment Some accused the company of failing to enforce measures to prevent the spread of the virusFoxconn said Sunday it was using iquestclosed loop managementiquest an official term for employees living at their workplace and avoiding contact with the outside The company said ill employees were being treated but did not say if new infections still were occurringAlso this week visitors to Shanghai Disneyland were temporarily barred from leaving as part of virus testing the city government said Tuesday had extended to 439000 people The city health agency said visitors on Monday tested negative and were allowed to leaveLast week 13 million residents of Shanghais downtown Yangpu district were ordered to stay at home while they were testedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever