Apple has been manufacturing certain iPhone models in India for a few years now. One reason to do so is to eliminate the import tax that India imposes on iPhone handsets shipped into the country. In addition, having the phone made in India allows it to be considered for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative.
And now, more bad news has hit Apple’s contract manufacturers in the country which is known as the second largest smartphone market in the world. A pair of facilities owned by Wistron and Foxconn were hit with COVID-19 in May and a total of 13 employees were infected. On Saturday, 10 Chinese engineers working at Foxconn’s Chennai facility had the virus forcing them to be quarantined at a local hospital.
Wistron and Foxconn facilities in India are hit with COVID-19
As of Saturday, India had the second highest total of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the world with nearly 20 million reported cases and 242,362 deaths. The only country to report a higher number of cases and deaths is the U.S. If the COVID situation in India remains out of control, Apple’s supply chain for its Indian production will be affected by curfews and other delays.
