Electronics contract manufacturers Foxconn and Wistron shut down production at smartphone factories in India, after the government ordered a nationwide lockdown to contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, Bloomberg reported.

Foxconn, Apple’s main global manufacturing partner, told the news agency it had halted operations until 14 April. Wistron also said is it complying with the order, without specifying which production lines were impacted. Both also produce smartphones for other brands.

Earlier in the week, Xiaomi, Lenovo and domestic device maker Lava all suspended operations in the country, The Economic Times reported.

India’s government announced a three-week lockdown on 24 March.

While the pandemic spread quickly globally, work and travel restrictions in China are gradually being lifted.

In early March, Foxconn chairman Young Liu expressed confidence operations at its factories in China would return to normal by the end of the month.

He predicted a significant impact on Q1 earnings, but said it was too soon to assess the longer-term consequences on its performance.

Worldwide shipments of smartphones dropped 38 per cent year-on-year in February, Strategy Analytics reported.