UPDATE 1-Chinese zone housing major Apple iPhone plant imposes fresh lockdown - Yahoo Finance

(Adds details connected Foxconn's works situation, Zhengzhou COVID cases)

By Brenda Goh

Nov 2 (Reuters) - A Chinese industral parkland that hosts an iPhone mill belonging to Foxconn announced a caller COVID-19 lockdown connected Wednesday, raising questions astir its interaction connected the Apple supplier's efforts to quell discontent astatine the factory.

The Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone successful cardinal China said it would enforce "silent management" measures with contiguous effect including barring each residents from going retired and lone allowing approved vehicles nary the roads. The curbs volition enactment successful spot until Nov. 9, it said.

Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, is Apple's biggest iPhone maker, producing 70% of iPhone shipments globally. It makes astir of the phones astatine the Zhengzhou works wherever it employs astir 200,000 people, though it has different smaller accumulation sites successful India and southbound China.

The concern park's announcement did not specify however the measures mightiness beryllium applied to Foxconn. Foxconn and Apple did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Foxconn has been moving to clasp unit and creaseless implicit tensions successful the factory, aft workers complained astir their attraction and provisions nether COVID-19 prevention measures. Several employees besides fled the factory, prompting Foxconn to connection generous bonuses to clasp staff.

The parkland besides locked down earlier this twelvemonth successful precocious April for 14 days. Foxconn said astatine the clip that its accumulation astatine the works was normal.

Wednesday's lockdown marks a re-tightening of measures successful Zhengzhou, which unexpectedly lifted a quasi-lockdown connected its astir 13 cardinal radical the time before. The metropolis reported 358 locally transmitted cases for Tuesday, up from 95 the time before. (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Additional reporting by Yimou Lee successful Taipei; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Stephen Coates)