Hundreds of workers rioted in a Shanghai factory in opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns in the city.
The factory is owned by Quanta Computer, who gets 50% of their revenue from Apple, primarily making Macbooks for the Cupertino, California-based company. They also do work for Microsoft, Dell and HP, according to Bloomberg.
Video of the riot was posted on Twitter and Youtube, and shows hundreds of workers ignoring the directions of hazmat-wearing workers and breaking past isolation barricades. The incident represents a rare defiance of China’s zero-Covid policy.
Shanghai, home to 25 million people, has been struggling to maintain China’s zero-covid policy. Factories have been operating in a closed-loop system where workers are prevented from having contact with people outside of the factory, including family members. Workers sleep and spend their off hours at the factory or nearby dormitories.
A worker told a Taiwanese newspaper that the riot happened after workers were prevented from returning to their dormitory because of an infection that broke out there. That caused a panic because workers feared they would be forced to stay in the factory for an undetermined amount of time.
The closed loop system has been effective in keeping Shanghai’s industrial base going. According to officials, Shanghai’s production is operating at 70% of its capacity and 90% of the 660 “key” companies are keeping operations running.
However, the lockdowns have been tough on the populace, with citizens being locked in their homes while police patrol the streets. It is unclear how long these policies, which have been in effect in some parts of the city since late March, can be maintained.
Quanta Computer has over 40,000 employees in its eight factories in Shanghai alone. It resumed production on April 18 starting with 2,000 staff members. It is unclear how many of the 40,000 employees are currently working in the closed loop system at the Quanta factories.
An employee told Bloomberg that operations returned to normal at the plant on Friday morning.