China locks down 'iPhone City' as stir worsens

20,000 Staff Leave Foxconn As Workers Clash With Police

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Beijing/Taipei: Six million people were on Friday under Covid lockdown in a Chinese city home to the world’s largest Apple iPhone factory, after clashes between police and workers furious over pay.

Authorities have ordered residents of eight districts in Zhengzhou, in the central province of Henan, not to leave the area for the next five days, setting up barriers around “highrisk” apartment buildings and checkpoints to restrict travel.

There have been only a handful of Covid cases in the city but under China’s zero-Covid policy even tiny outbreaks can spark gruelling lockdowns, travel curbs and mass testing.