1 Covid case shuts China varsity, rtd soldiers being urged to help

SHANGHAI/BEIJING: Local authorities in China’s Henan province are urging retired soldiers and government workers to take on stints at Foxconn’s iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, the official Shanghai Securities News reported on Tuesday.

The plant, the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing facility, has been hit by discontent over government mandated measures to curb the spread of Covid-19, which required the company to isolate many workers but also prompted many others to flee in recent weeks.

The calls to retired workers have come from authorities in cities such as Jiyuan and Kaifeng, who are saying that those who take up the offer will be eligible to receive their current salary plus wages and bonuses from the factory, the publication said in a piece on its official WeChat account.

Meanwhile, authorities locked down a major university in Beijing on Wednesday after finding one Covid-19 case as they stick to a “zero-Covid” approach despite growing public discontent.

Peking University students and faculty were not allowed to leave the grounds unless necessary and classes on the main campus — where the case was found — were moved online through Friday, a university notice said. Still, some people could be seen entering and leaving the main campus Wednesday in the Chinese capital’s Haidian district.

Beijing reported more than 350 new cases in the latest 24-hour period, a small fraction of its 21-million population but enough to trigger localized lockdowns and quarantines under China’s “zero-Covid” strategy.

Nationwide, China reported about 20,000 cases, up from about 8,000 a week ago.

Peking University has more than 40,000 students on multiple campuses, most in Beijing.