After Tesla opened its Fremont manufacturing plant early last month in violation of Alameda County health orders, there are now reports that multiple workers have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Two Tesla workers tell the Washington Post that there have been several coronavirus cases among workers at the Fremont factory. At least two of them are at a seat-assembly facility on Page Avenue, near the main plant.
After Tesla ordered employees to go back to work last month, one anonymous worker told KPIX-5 that he did not feel safe.
“You’ve got up to four people working on a car at once. Everyone is using the same tools,” he said. “We have to wear masks and the masks, all it does is fog up your safety glasses.”
Tesla eventually came to an agreement with the county health department on certain safety procedures and legally reopened on May 18. At the time, CEO Elon Musk touted the success of safety measures at the company’s plant in China where no worker had died of the virus.
Tesla would not provide a comment on the Washington Post report. The company’s agreement with the county requires notifying health officials of any new cases, but the county says that because the plant was open for one week before the agreement was in place, there may be cases at the plant that were never reported.