According to Reuters, Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, has “essentially” restored normal operations in Shenzhen after a partial lockout left its factory offline.

In a statement, the business claimed its Longhua and Guanlan plants have “essentially resumed normal work order and production operations,” though it added that it will “strictly apply epidemic prevention and control” measures and that some employees will live and work in a bubble. Employees in Futian, a Shenzhen area, are still being encouraged to work from home, according to Reuters.

The re-opening comes just over a week after the firm stated it was suspending operations in the city due to a 60-per cent increase in new infections. According to The Guardian, China has been adopting a stringent “zero-COVID” approach since the start of the outbreak, including strict lockdowns and mass testing to keep the virus at bay.

The Guardian reported on Saturday that the country had recorded its first two coronavirus deaths in over a year, bringing the total number of deaths to 4,638 since the pandemic began.

Even though Foxconn is a major Apple supplier, the stoppage in Shenzhen is unlikely to have had a significant impact on iPhone manufacturing. According to Reuters, the majority of Foxconn’s iPhone manufacturing in China is thought to take place in Zhengzhou, Henan province.