The Chinese government has put in place strict Covid- 19 sanctions and measures in a district in Zhengzhou city which is home to the largest iPhone factory in China.

The lockdown is set to last for seven days and this may affect the production of the new iPhone 14 which is made at Foxconn’s plant in the city, as well as other Chinese businesses. This has caused business owners and citizens to grapple with the President’s rigid zero-Covid policy.

According to BBC, the local authorities of China declared the lockdown of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone which was ending on November 9^th, 2022. As a result of this lockdown process, public transport has been suspended and people have been advised to work from home according to an official notice that was given on social media.

Officials of China noted that they would “resolutely crack down on all kinds of violations and regulations.” Thus, sanctions will be met by people who defile or violate the regulations put in place.

Zhengzhou is a capital city in the central part of China, and home to about 10 million people.

Zero Covid Strategy Affecting Chinese

China remains one of the countries that is still affected by the pandemic and as a result, officials of the country have implemented a “Dynamic zero-Covid” strategy. The People of the Republic of China have expressed their displeasure with this policy, and this may affect Xi Jiping’s political motives as well.

The President and his officials’ motive behind the Dynamic zero-Covid strategy is to have China in a stable and top state when delegates meet in the capital, Beijing to usher Xi Jiping into a historic third term of power. The people of China have been confined to their homes due to the imposition of the lockdown across the country and this is putting political pressure on the President of the Republic of China.

Hospitals have fortunately not been swamped due to the strict lockdowns, mass testing, constant scanning of health codes and travel restrictions, but this came at a cost of the increase in youth unemployment.

Despite this massive economic and societal pressure, the government still refuses to resort to the one thing that may quicken the termination of the crisis- vaccination. The government of China has failed to push people to take the vaccinations, limiting its vaccines to only locally produced ones, which are not as effective as the ones produced internationally.

Although the country is getting by normally, nearly a fifth of the people are one way or the other confined in one place and their livelihoods seem to be slowly deteriorating. China’s zero Covid strategy is affecting people in dire ways including difficulty in sourcing food and medicine.

The outbreak has also affected the famous Apple company, as workers of the company’s largest factory in China flee from the factory due to an outbreak of Covid 19 in the factory, although the number of cases of Covid in the factory have not been identified.

A worker who was able to flee complained about the conditions and said that “it was total chaos in the dormitories.” Workers also claimed that the areas around the plant were on lockdown for days and workers who tested positive for Covid were confined and subjected to daily testing and quarantines to try and contain the pandemic.