Apple Falls Prey To China's "Dire" Covid Lockdown Shortly After iPhone 14 Launch

China’s latest Covid lockdown has virtually compromised a city of 6 million, forcing Apple Inc’s AAPL datacenter operator to take emergency measures to shut out the pandemic, Bloomberg reports.
Apple’s government-backed partner Guizhou Cloud Big Data in Guiyang described a “closed loop” system that bars employees from leaving the premises.
“Faced with a dire situation, we need courageous people on the front lines,” Cloud Big Data claimed.
Guiyang has, in past years, used incentives and policy support to attract the likes of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA and Tencent Holdings Ltd TCEHY.
Apple’s Chinese data center has become the heart of its nationwide operation, housing every online data generated and stored by millions of Chinese iPhone users.
China sealed off parts of Guiyang this week after an increase in virus cases triggered a stringent response in line with its COVID-19 strategy.
Apple just introduced the much-awaited iPhone 14 series with distinct features.
Price Action: AAPL shares traded lower by 0.73% at $154.79 in the premarket on the last check Thursday.
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