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India is going strong with its efforts to curb further spread of the coronavirus by ordering a 21-day lockdown period before matters get out of hand. As a result, smartphone manufacturers will be shuttering their factories in the country for the foreseeable future.
Amid the looming COVID-19 concerns, the government has asked all citizens and workspaces to self-quarantine for at least three weeks to try and control community transmission. As a result, only essential services will be allowed to function at minimal capacities, with everything else being closed. Smartphones, and tech companies in general, not being a part of that space will thus not be allowed to function.
Foxconn and Wistron, which handle Apple’s assemblies in India, are suspending production till April 14, according to Bloomberg. Specific details around which products will be affected were not mentioned.
Similarly, Samsung’s Noida plant, which is the world’s largest smartphone factory, will also be closing down for the stipulated period. Non-factory floor employees handling beats such as marketing, communications, and R&D will be working from home. Vivo, Oppo, LG, and Xiaomi are also following the best resources to stay updated with India’s COVID-19 situation the orders in a similar fashion while encouraging employees to work remotely.
Redmi and Realme have also postponed their upcoming smartphone launches in India. That was an expected move as none of their logistical partners would’ve been able to function and carry on deliveries in an efficient way.
On the topic of logistics, Flipkart is also suspending all operations for the coming weeks. Amazon, however, will continue to function, prioritizing essentials and household staples. It will also temporarily stop taking orders and disable shipments for “lower-priority products.”
OnePlus and Huawei will be extending warranties for their products which were ending in March by a couple of months, while also making the returns less stringent.
India is one of the biggest and fastest-growing smartphone markets in the world. This pandemic will create a slight slowdown in the industry, but it remains to be seen how lasting the effects will be.
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