--- title: "Tesla Storing Thousands of Employees at an “Old Military Camp” in China" description: "Thousands of Tesla workers in Shanghai, China, are reportedly being isolated in an old military camp to make sure they aren't infected with COVID-19." date: "2022-05-24" modified: "2022-05-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-employees-military-camp-china" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Military" - "Science & Energy" - "Tesla" tags: - "Shanghai" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Storing Thousands of Employees at an “Old Military Camp” in China ![Thousands of Tesla workers in Shanghai, China, are reportedly being isolated in an old military camp to make sure they aren't infected with COVID-19.]() *\Image: Tesla\* ## Mandatory Quarantine Tesla is reportedly isolating thousands of workers at its Shanghai, China gigafactory in an old military camp to make sure they aren't infected with COVID-19, [according to *Bloomberg*](), orders to meet the government's strict quarantine requirements. The electric carmaker is becoming increasingly desperate to get production back on track amid China's attempts to suppress any new COVID cases as part of its [controversial COVID Zero strategy](). The plant [shutting down]() in late March for three weeks was a significant setback for the company, and production has yet to return to normal. The plant is serving Tesla's second biggest market after the US, and is capable of producing roughly 2,100 cars a day when running at full capacity. But operating within the confines of lockdowns comes with a price. According to *Bloomberg*'s sources, shift workers have to remain in quarantine between 48 and 72 hours at the military camp to eventually join the Shanghai factory's "bubble." ## Closed Loop Last month, news emerged that the Shanghai factory had [created a "closed-loop" system](), forcing its workers to [sleep on the facility's floors]() due to the lack of purpose-built dorms. It sounds like space at the Gigafactory is still tight, with daytime workers sleeping in assigned beds over night and the night shift sleeping in the same beds during the day, according to *Bloomberg*. Shanghai's almost two months long lockdown has tested its residents' limits, with some literally [screaming out of their windows]() to voice their frustrations. Fortunately, officials are starting to [ease some of these restrictions]() lately, with life reemerging in the city of 26 million people. Workers at Tesla's factory are also starting to gear up to return to full production as soon as later this week, according to *Bloomberg*. But whether that means they'll be able to return to a degree of normalcy in their daily lives as well is still unclear. **READ MORE:** [Tesla Quarantining Thousands of Workers to Restore China Output]() \[*Bloomberg*\] **More on the factory:** *[Tesla Reportedly Forcing Workers to Sleep on Factory Floor in Shanghai]()* ## 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]()