Apple will be temporarily shutting down its iPhone factories in India, following an Indian government order telling the country’s entire 1.3 billion population to stay at home for at least three weeks, as the country attempts to stem the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Factories in India have suspended production until at least April 14. The country is under a nationwide lockdown ordered by President by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Foxconn and Wistron Corp. have suspended production at their India plants, which include the assembly of some Apple Inc. iPhone models, in order to comply with a nationwide lockdown ordered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., is suspending operations until April 14, the company said in a text message to Bloomberg News. It intends to resume India production based on further government announcements. A Wistron representative said the company is also adhering to the order, while declining to comment on exactly what products are affected.
The 21-day lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Modi during a televised address to the nation on Tuesday.
“For a few days forget what it means to go out. Today’s decision of a nationwide lockdown draws a line outside your home,” the PM said.
Apple iPhone production partner Wistron has plants located in India. The company’s new plant in the country was preparing for assembly of printed circuit boards (PCBs) for iPhones, beginning in April.
Wistron’s other Indian plant, located in central Bengaluru, has been assembling iPhone SE, iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 models since 2017.
Apple’s main assembly partner, Foxconn, has been manufacturing iPhone X models in the county since last year. Apple has an office with thousands of employees in Hyderabad, which works on Apple Maps data.
The closures come when Apple was just amping up efforts to bring online and in-store sales to customers in India for the first time.