Update: According to an even newer report, Samsung will maintain its output by temporarily switching its smartphone production from Gumi, South Korea to Vietnam, where the company expects to manufacture 200,000 units per month. South Korea's Galaxy S20 supply will be shipped in from Vietnam.
Original story follows
Today, March 6, Samsung has once again shut down its Gumi smartphone manufacturing plant in South Korea after an employee was confirmed to carry the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. According to Yonhap News citing a Samsung Electronics official, the plant will remain closed for one day and should return to the usual schedule on March 7 without suffering any market disruptions, i.e., supply shortcomings.
The factory in Gumi, South Korea, is primarily used for the manufacturing of premium devices including the Galaxy Z Flip. This isn't the first time the factory had to be temporarily shut down since the beginning of the year. Samsung first took this safety measure a couple of weeks ago. It then shut down the factory again last weekend as new COVID-19 cases have been found among employees.
The report states that the latest coronavirus incident will not cause any market disruptions, meaning that any devices manufactured at Gumi – including the Galaxy Z Flip – should continue to be shipped according to the original schedule.
That's not to say Galaxy Z Flip stocks have been great so far, regardless of the implications of COVID-19. The device was released in limited quantities, to begin with, and it sold out fairly quickly wherever it went on sale, including Canada, China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, the United States, and more. Stocks continue to be replenished, but at this point, whether or not you're able to buy the Galaxy Z Flip in your country seems to come down to luck.
