China has cautiously begun lifting lockdowns as the country's coronavirus infection rates slow, with factories reopening and people returning to work. The danger isn't over yet though, as the possibility of a second outbreak continues to lurk dangerously in the background.
To prevent a resurgence, China's State Council has advised employers to give workers face masks and take their temperatures daily. Even so, the Washington Post reports companies such as iPhone manufacturer Foxconn Technology Group have gone significantly beyond that in order to protect workers.
Foxconn workers at the company's Zhengzhou factory are reportedly issued face masks and have their temperature taken each morning, in accordance with the State Council's requirements. The State Council also requires employers to submit daily reports on their workers' health.
However, Foxconn doesn't restrict itself to just one temperature check per day. It also monitors workers' temperatures with an infrared video camera, keeping alert to early signs of illness. At lunch, the Post reports cafeteria tables are separated by tall, opaque dividers into little eating cubicles. Cafeteria seats also have QR codes for workers to scan so the company can track where they've been.
Workers are organised into groups of 20 who eat, work, and live together, like high school classes rotating between lessons. When they arrive back to their dorms, there's also a designated place for them to leave their coats and bags to be disinfected. (Some reopened factories currently aren't allowing workers to leave the grounds.)
Foxconn said in a statement to the Washington Post that it was also using "nucleic acid tests and chest X-rays when required." According to the Post, Foxconn's coronavirus safety policies are among the strictest in the country, as the company works to stay on track for a new iPhone launch in fall.
"We have been closely monitoring the current public health challenge linked to the coronavirus and we are applying all recommended health and hygiene practices to all aspects of our operations in the affected markets," wrote Foxconn in early March, around the time it began reopening its factories.
"The operation schedules for our facilities in China follow the recommendations of the local governments, and we have not received any requests from our customers on the need to resume production earlier."
Foxconn has over one million employees, making it one of the largest employers not only in China, but in the world. It is currently manufacturing its own masks for workers, aiming to produce two million per day.
China currently has the fifth highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with over 83,000 COVID-19 diagnoses and more than 3,300 deaths.
