Tesla News: Car Company Ready To Bring Workers Back To California Factories?

Electric automaker Tesla is preparing to have some employees return to work next week at its assembly plant in Fremont, California, Bloomberg News reported Saturday. Fremont, located in the San Francisco Bay area, has been under stay-at-home orders since March 16 amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Bloomberg News noted that internal Tesla messages had asked some Fremont employees to come in on April 29, several days before San Francisco’s stay-at-home order tentatively lifts on May 3.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that San Francisco Mayor London Breed will likely extend the stay-at-home order beyond May 3. After Breed had issued the order in March, the Fremont factory continued to operate but was forced to shut down as it was deemed a “non-essential” business.

Tesla leadership has displayed a mixed response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

CEO Elon Musk mocked the coronavirus in the early stages of the outbreak, calling panic surrounding the disease “dumb” in a March tweet. Musk has since stepped forward amid the pandemic, sending ventilators to U.S. hospitals, although the move has sparked some controversy.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has disrupted Tesla’s operations in other parts of the world, with China ordering the company’s Shanghai factory to temporarily shut down in January.

Tesla began producing cars from the Shanghai factory in December, as the company hopes to establish a foothold in China, the world’s largest electric vehicle market.