Apple iPhone maker Foxconn slams ‘maliciously edited’ video that claims Covid deaths at China plant

Foxconn said Tuesday that there have been no deaths at its Zhengzhou, China factory, the biggest iPhone production facility in the world, hitting back at a video that claimed people had died from a Covid-19 outbreak.

The Taiwanese iPhone assembler has been battling a Covid flare up in its Zhengzhou factory, enacting prevention measures including requiring workers to have regular testing.

On Monday, a video circulating on Twitter alleged that eight people in a dormitory at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory had all died as a result of the outbreak.

In a statement, Foxconn said that it had carried out a “detailed investigation” into the video and said there have been no deaths at the facility.

“We believe this is a maliciously edited video,” Foxconn said.

To deal with the outbreak, Foxconn has been quarantining workers on site, according to Reuters. To avoid being locked up on site, workers have been fleeing the Zhengzhou factory on foot, videos circulating on social media and a report from Reuters shows.

The Covid outbreak threatens to disrupt iPhone production at the Zhengzhou plant ahead of the critical holiday season for Apple.