Coronavirus contamination: Indian handset companies call up govt for clarity

New Delhi: Smartphone manufacturers have asked the government to clarify whether Chinese components pose any risk of coronavirus contamination after workers raised concerns about possible infection.“We have written to telecom secretary Anshu Prakash and MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney to take up this matter with the health department and to issue a clarification,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of the Indian Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA). The lobby group represents companies such as Foxconn, which makes phones for Xiaomi, Apple and Nokia, and Wistron, which makes iPhones, besides Vivo and Oppo.India imports mobile phone components worth Rs 7,000-8,000 crore from China every month.“There is a query from the industry on the subject of equipment sub-assemblies and components from China wherein there is a perceived threat by handlers of the supply and also workers in warehouse/plants about the spread of coronavirus,” ICEA said in its letter, which ET has seen.The association has issued a limited advisory to its members based on one from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “There is real fear among workers that the highly contagious virus might spread through machinery, components and devices imported from China,” Mohindroo said.The CDC has said the likelihood of such infection is low in its latest advisory on the coronavirus.“In general, because of poor survivability of coronaviruses on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures,” it said.There is no evidence to support transmission of 2019-nCoV associated with imported goods, it said.The letter to the government states: “However, it is not conclusively suggested by CDC that there may be no transmission as such.”73789955 Govt Urged to Review ImpactMohindroo said the document was very carefully worded. “We would like the government to let us know whether the virus can or cannot be transmitted through inanimate objects to humans, like most viruses,” he said.On Thursday, the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) had urged the government to review the impact of the outbreak on trade as China is one of the top trading partners for India and the rest of the world. The FIEO said that if the problem persisted, it may impact domestic mobile manufacturers as they import many of their components from China. China accounts for 75% of the total value of components used in TVs and almost 85% in the case of smartphones in India. ET reported on January 30 that smartphone and consumer electronics companies in India were staring at production cuts and possible delays in the launch of new products due to the coronavirus outbreak in China that has disrupted component supplies. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that iPhone production could be impacted, possibly affecting earnings.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/2U8hI8h