California’s new coronavirus restrictions went into effect on Saturday, but workers at the state’s Tesla plant will be unrestricted because the plant is considered “essential” business activities, AFP reported. Earlier, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had an argument with the California government over the forced closure of Tesla’s factory earlier.
The California Department of Public Health said that “the stay-at-home order does not apply to workers who are considered essential industries – manufacturing is classified as essential jobs” and specifically specifies the transportation of products and equipment.
The exemption would allow Tesla Auto Assembly plants to continue to comply with the health plan already in place without complying with the new curfew imposed in most of California.
In California, stay-at-home orders, except for essential activities, are in effect on Saturday nights and last through December 21. About 94% of California’s population will be affected by this curfew, including residents in Alameda, the location of the Tesla factory.
In May, Musk disputed with authorities over reopening California’s plants and threatened to move its headquarters and future projects to Texas or Nevada. Musk once tweeted that he would resume production and challenged the authorities to stop him.
Last month, Tesla said that profits in the previous quarter have more than doubled, and the electric vehicle giant expects to deliver 500,000 vehicles this year.
At present, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has soared nationwide in the United States, and the number of confirmed cases in the United States exceeded 12 million on Saturday.
