As the Coronavirus outbreak continues in China, we want to provide our clients an update from our team on the ground in the Zhejiang province.

 

Current Coronavirus Situation

As of 2/12 new cases have dropped for the second day in a row. This could be an indication that the virus is being successfully contained.

 

The Hubei province, where the city of Wuhan is located, has been the hardest hit by the virus. There are currently about 32,000 cases of the Coronavirus in this region. Zhejiang, the province just south of Shanghai, currently has about 1,092 reported cases of the virus. Ningbo, which is the largest city in the Zhejiang province with about 8.2 million people, has only 155 reported cases.

 

While the Zhejiang province has been relatively unaffected by the spread of the Coronavirus, the Blacksmith team in China is remaining safe by working from home. No member of the Blacksmith team has been infected by the virus.

 

When will Factories Re-open?

Most of the cut and sew apparel factories we work with are located in the Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces. Many factories in Zhejiang will be re-opening by the end of this week (2/14).

 

Larger factories in Guangdong will be slower to reach full capacity due to the travel restrictions in place by the Chinese government. Currently, anyone that crosses into a different Chinese province is required to remain in quarantine for 14 days. This has been an issue since many factory workers traveled back to Guangdong after the Chinese New Year holiday.

 

We expect most factories we work with in Guangdong to be open within the next 10 days (2/22).

 

Please note that while factories will be opening soon, it will take some time for factories to reach full production capacity. A delay in the re-opening of other key parts of supply chains like fabric mills may also affect the ability of factories to reach full production.

 

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep our clients updated. If you have any questions about how the Coronavirus will affect your supply chain, then contact us here.