--- title: "After Tesla Defied Lockdown, Workers Started Catching Coronavirus" description: "Several employees were instructed to stay at home after testing positive for the coronavirus after Tesla defied lockdown orders in California." date: "2020-06-09" modified: "2020-06-09" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/tesla-lockdown-workers-catching-coronavirus" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Tesla" - "Viruses" tags: - "california" - "elon musk" - "tesla" --- # After Tesla Defied Lockdown, Workers Started Catching Coronavirus ![Several employees were instructed to stay at home after testing positive for the coronavirus after Tesla defied lockdown orders in California.]() *\Image: Tesla/Victor Tangermann\* Last month, Tesla decided to reopen its factory in California a week before it struck an agreement with the local county's health department, in defiance of the lockdown. A short time later, several employees were instructed to stay at home after testing positive for the coronavirus, [*The Washington Post* reports](). Last month, as the pandemic raged, CEO Elon Musk had what amounted to a [complete online meltdown]() over the halting of production at his company's factory in Alameda County. He repeatedly lashed out via social media, tweeting "FREE AMERICA NOW," and calling quarantine measures ["fascist"]() — moves he [may have come to regret](), at least to a degree. On May 18, Alameda County agreed on a plan for Tesla to reopen its plant, but with social distancing and other precautions in place. Employees had to work in shifts, wear masks, and limit contact with each other — and Tesla had to report any coronavirus cases to the authorities. But Tesla had already restarted operations [a week before that](), with Musk [joining the frontlines](), meaning there could have been more new coronavirus cases at its plant during that one week period before it was required to report them, the *Post* suggests. A Tesla spokesperson, however, told the newspaper that nobody tested positive during that time — though they also said that if a worker was not a resident of the county, "it’s possible we would not have that case reported to us." Extra health and safety measures seem to have had a pretty minimal effect on daily operations, according to several workers who spoke on the condition of anonymity with the *Post*. "No social distancing at all when clocking in/out \[because\] people are … in a hurry to go home or get back to their work station," one worker told the paper. "It’s like nothing but with a mask on." **READ MORE:** [Tesla defied county orders so it could restart production. Days later, workers tested positive for the coronavirus.]() \[*The Washington Post*\] **More on Tesla:** *[TESLA SUPPLIER: NEW BATTERY WILL LAST A SHOCKING 1.2 MILLION MILES]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()