TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s Zhengzhou is struggling to contain a resurgence of COVID as students of a university were reportedly fleeing the campus following the lockdown of a Foxconn plant that disrupted iPhone production.
Floods of students from the Huanghe Science and Technology College in Henan’s Zhengzhou were seen departing on Tuesday (Nov. 8) as rumors of over 100 infections on campus triggered a panic, wrote a Chinese blogger.
A permit was supposedly required for an exit from the college but many decided to escape. The exodus involved more than 30,000 students, the blogger claimed.
There were reports of chaotic dining services at dormitories shut down to avoid the spread of the virus, prompting fears of cross-infection. Some also complained about being held at a Zhengzhou train station preventing them from leaving.
The incident followed an exodus of at least 100,000 anxious workers at a Foxconn factory in the city since mid-October amid an outbreak. Complaints have been filed about treatment and provisions for those staying and the Apple manufacturer has warned about delayed iPhone shipments amid a lockdown of the plant.
The company said Sunday (Nov. 6) it is asking employees to follow a “point-to-point” system under which they can only travel between the factory area and the dorms, per Reuters. A bonus will be offered to those who return, according to CNN, with work to resume as soon as the lockdown is lifted.