Economic activities around the world have been shut following the coronavirus pandemic. While governments across the globe are going back and forth on lifting or easing down the restrictions, one person who has become impatient in the prolonged shutdown is Elon Musk.
On Monday, Musk tweeted that production had restarted at his Tesla electric car plant in California. Informing this in a tweet, he even challenged authorities to arrest him for defying orders. "Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules. I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me," Musk posted on Twitter. The Tesla CEO had spoken against the government's plan to continue with cessation of activities in the US.
Musk previously even vowed to move the firm's headquarters out of California if the plant was not allowed to reopen. While the state has eased restrictions to allow manufacturing, Alameda County, where the Fremont plant is located, has not.
The state law allows a fine of up to $1,000 a day or up to 90 days in jail for operating in violation of health orders. However, that has not deterred Musk who is famous for speaking his heart out. He has also often got in trouble for not mincing words and offering his "two cents" on Twitter.
"Given the Governor’s recent guidance, which is supported by science and credible health data, the state and federal government’s classification of vehicle manufacturing as national critical infrastructure, and our robust safety plan, Tesla has started the process of resuming operations. Our employees are excited to get back to work, and we’re doing so with their health and safety in mind," the company stated in a recent statement.
Tesla stated that the plan to resume production has been carefully executed on lines of its Shanghai (China) Gigafactory, "which has seen smooth and healthy operations for the last three months".
The plant in Fremont, a city of more than 230,000 people, had been closed since March 23. Tesla claims itself to be the largest manufacturing employer in the state with more than 10,000 employees at our Fremont factory and 20,000 statewide.
