Apple iPhone Maker Foxconn Refutes a Claim From a Video Alleging Covid Deaths at China Factory; Investigation Concluded It's 'Maliciously Edited'

Apple iPhone maker Foxconn refuted a claim from a video circulating on Twitter alleging that at least eight people had died of Covid at its Zhengzhou production plant in China on Tuesday, Nov. 1,

Foxconn said the report of Covid deaths inside its dormitory at the Zhengzhou factory, the biggest iPhone production plant in the world, was false.

The Taiwanese iPhone maker called out the video as "a maliciously edited video."

Video on Twitter

A video circulating on Twitter said a number of Foxconn workers infected by Covid are "suspected to be dead in isolation confinement."

Foxconn denied the reported deaths, CNBC reported. Foxconn said it has already conducted an investigation into the video.

Covid Outbreak

A Covid outbreak hit Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province in China, last week. The city's 10 million population was placed on partial lockdown in compliance with President Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy. The Taiwanese company, acting as an iPhone supplier to Apple, has at least 200,000 workers at Zhengzhou's industrial complex. Foxconn said a number of its employees were infected with Covid but did not say how many were infected.

Covid Measures

To battle the rising cases of Covid in its production facility, the Taiwanese company implemented Covid measures. One of these measures was to require all workers to undergo regular tests. Foxconn had implemented quarantine measures among its on-site workers infected with Covid. It also banned dine-in catering inside the plant and told workers to eat their meals in their rooms to contain the outbreak.

Workers Are Fleeing

Fearing a lockdown inside the iPhone maker's plant, many workers are fleeing from the industrial complex, according to a report by Reuters.

Foxconn said it would not stop the workers from leaving the facility.

The company, in an email sent to Reuters, said, "for some workers who want to return home, the (plant) is cooperating with the government to organize personnel and vehicle to provide a point-to-point orderly return service for employees."

Zhengzhou registered at least 167 locally transmitted Covid cases for the last seven days leading to Oct. 29. Previously, the city had reported 97 cases before the seven-day period.

Authorities in cities near Zhengzhou urged the fleeing Foxconn workers to report to local officials before they go home.

At the same time, returning Foxconn workers were advised to travel in pre-arranged vehicles and undergo quarantine upon their arrival.

Disrupt Production

The outbreak threatened to disrupt production at the Zhengzhou industrial complex.

The company's spokesperson for the Taiwanese iPhone maker, in an interview with CNBC, said Foxconn had maintained a "relatively stable" operation while implementing the health protocols.

Although Foxconn maintains that iPhone production is on schedule, it is also considering transferring some of its production to other sites in China. A backup production from other plants is considered.

The Wall Street Journal, in its tweets, said the company has plans to transfer.

China's rigid Covid policies disrupted commerce and industrial production as the infectious disease continues to rise.

Foxconn to contain the outbreak will take a lot longer, but it claimed the situation is slowly getting under control.