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MW UPDATE: Tesla factory had more than 400 COVID-19 cases after Elon Musk's defiant reopening: report

By Mike Murphy

Data found cases at Fremont, Calif., factory spiked in December

Hundreds of COVID-19 cases were reported at Tesla Inc.'s production plant in Fremont, Calif., after it reopened last May in defiance of local health regulations, according to a new report.

Citing county data obtained by the website Plainsite that there were around 450 coronavirus cases at the plant between May and December, when cases spiked to 125 cases. About 10,000 people work at the factory.

Tesla's plant, which manufactures Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y electric vehicles, was shut when local shelter-in-place orders were put into effect last March, in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. There were concerns at the time that the site could be a potential superspreader location, due to its large workforce coming from a number of neighboring counties.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk was a vocal opponent of such closures on the condition it complied with specific public-safety measures, including reporting positive COVID-19 cases to the county health department.

Read:Elon Musk vs. Bay Area officials: These emails show what happened behind the scenes in the Tesla factory fight

Tesla was also sharply criticized last year when, after promising workers they could stay home if they felt unsafe due to COVID-19, the company reversed course in June and said that employees who did not return to work would be fired .

Workers have complained about unsafe conditions at the Fremont factory for years, and Forbes reported in 2019 that Tesla had accumulated significantly more workplace safety investigations and fines by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration than its competitors.

Last week, firefighters were called to the Fremont plant after hydraulic fluid ignited a fire at Tesla's so-called Giga Press , a giant auto-parts stamping machine. There were no reported injuries, and its effect on production was not immediately known.

The auto maker dissolved its media-relations team last year and does not respond to media requests for comment.

Tesla shares $(TSLA)$ are about flat year to date, but have soared more than 530% in the past 12 months, compared to the S&P 500's 45% yearly gain.

-Mike Murphy; 415-439-6400; AskNewswires@dowjones.com

$(END)$ Dow Jones Newswires

March 14, 2021 18:16 ET (22:16 GMT)

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