Zhengzhou, a city in east-central China that is home to Apple’s largest iPhone factory, Foxconn, is lifting its lockdown policy after five days, Bloomberg first reported, citing a WeChat post from the local government.
The changes go into effect November 30, local time, according to the announcement.
No new infections have been found for five days in a row, according to a translation of the announcement, and the status of the city has been reduced to a low-risk zone.
Businesses can open to the public and resume activity in an orderly manner, according to the announcement, though they must continue to follow existing health protocols.
People living outside of “high-risk areas” that don’t have social activities don’t have to get tested if they don’t have to travel, like the elderly who live at home, or students and people who work from home, according to the government’s post.
The city made the announcement hours after officials in China said they would avoid strict restrictions, Bloomberg reports, after protests erupted in cities across the country against President Xi Jinping’s zero-COVID policy.
The lockdown came amid the current outbreak of cases of the Omicron variant which is highly transmissible. Social media videos appeared to show hundreds of workers at Zhengzhou’s Foxconn factory clashing with security guards over COVID-19 restrictions at the factory.
The protests threatened to impact Apple’s iPhone output, with Bloomberg reporting that there could be a production shortage of almost six million iPhone Pros this year as a result.
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