Some factories churning out the Apple iPhone in India are infected with COVID-19

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.

In December, a riot broke out during the night shift at Wistron's production facility in India. The 2,000 workers involved complained that they were not getting paid what they were promised to receive by Wistron. Apple immediately suspended production of the iPhone at the facility.

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.

Foxconn disinfected the facility but the plant continued to operate according to Taiwan News. The same source discussed a Wistron plant in South India that had been closed for five days after three managers were infected. That factory is located in Kolar, in the state of Karnataka.

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.

The iPhone models being produced in India include the iPhone 12, manufactured by Foxconn's Indian factory, Other models include the iPhone XR and the iPhone 11. It does not appear as though the outbreak will impact Apple's iPhone production in India at this time.