Tesla’s Fremont plant reported more than 400 COVID-19 cases between May and December, after CEO Elon Musk reopened it in defiance of public health orders, according to county data obtained by a transparency website.
The data, released to PlainSite from the Alameda County Department of Public Health one year after an initial request, showed that about 440 cases were reported at the plant, which employs about 10,000 people.
The electric car-maker recorded about 10 COVID-19 cases in May when the plant reopened in violation of county guidance, with that number steadily rising up to 125 cases in December.
One week after the plant reopened illegally in May, county officials announced that they reached an agreement with the plant and were allowing it to safely reopen. Musk had accused county health officials of overstepping, and had threatened to move the plant outside of California if the company was not treated better.
This is the first glimpse into virus cases at Tesla, although the company was repeatedly accused of failing to provide adequate protections for workers amid the pandemic.
Back in May, two Tesla workers told the Washington Post that there had been several coronavirus cases among workers at the Fremont factory.
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