More than a hundred workers at a major Apple and Tesla production plant in Shanghai clashed with officials and security guards in a stunning altercation on Thursday.
The officials in white protective gear tried to prevent the workers from breaching the building.
The workers and the guards fought. At one point, a female worker appeared to smack someone in protective gear so that a male worker, who was locked in a struggle with the person in protective gear, could get away.
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Workers were prevented from going back to their dormitories after they finished their shifts. Workers were frustrated with Covid restrictions, according to anonymous interviews.
According to Taiwanese news outlets USTV and UDN, some people said they were concerned about getting infections from workers who returned from quasar centers. The Taiwanese news reports that they feared that the campus would go into a strict lock down again if the factory floor spread the virus.
The companies did not respond immediately to Insider's request for comments.
Even as large swathes of the 25-million-strong city have remained under a strict curfew for more than a month, the altercation underscores the fragility of the attempts to get factories up and running.
In an attempt to minimize the impact on the economy, authorities have allowed some factories to operate under a closed loop system.
Three-quarters of Apple's MacBooks globally are assembled by Taiwanese-owned Quanta. USTV reported that 20% of the output for Apple comes from the Shanghai factory. It also makes computer circuit boards.
In order to comply with local COVID-19 prevention measures, Quanta temporarily suspended operations in Shanghai. The analyst said that the delivery of MacBook Pros would be delayed by three to five weeks.
About 2,000 of the 40,000 workers returned to the plant after the factory resumed operations on April 18.
There was barely any mention of the clash on Chinese social media platforms or in Chinese media, despite the fact that it was widely reported by Taiwanese media.
The city reported 3,625 Covid cases, 322 symptomatic cases and 11 deaths on Sunday. Some of the patients worked in closed-loop factories.
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