Report claims Foxconn workers at Zhengzhou, China, are pressed to work while sick

Apple supplier Foxconn is the world’s biggest manufacture of iPhones. It’s struggled with meeting production goals due to COVID protocols at its Zhengzhou, China facility. 

However, the Chinese government has lifted its zero-COVID restrictions. With Foxconn under pressure to catch up on much-delayed iPhone 14 Pro production, some employees have been told to continue assembling the smartphones even after becoming ill, according to a Rest of World report.

The article says employees on production lines are provided with N95 masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, workers say that it’s still easy to catch the disease inside dorm rooms, where eight people sleep together in close proximity. 

Seven workers told Rest of World that they, along with many of their roommates, contracted the virus after joining the factory this month. Three said they were asked to stay on the job despite showing symptoms. 

In a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — Piper Sandler expects Apple and Foxconn to catch up with iPhone 14 Pro production in December, but will still fall short by around nine million iPhones. The investment bank is cutting its estimates for Apple’s December quarter revenue by $8 billion.