Last month Tesla was forced to close down its factories in the US, including the Fremont factory in California, due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and stay-home orders issued by local government.
Now Tesla is reportedly calling some of it’s employees at Fremont, the only Tesla factory in the US that manufactures vehicles, back to work in preparation for a planned May 4 reopening (via Bloomberg).
In a message sent to employees, Tesla is requesting for some staff to report to the factory on April 29. It appears as though it is just a request and not mandatory, as the message asks workers to reply if they plan to show up.
Tesla’s Fremont factory, which manufactures the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and new Model Y, closed its doors more than a month ago on March 23. There was some confusion before the closure, as Tesla was initially believed to have been deemed an essential service, and could therefore remain operational.
That was short lived after the Alameda Country Sheriff’s office said that wasn’t the case, and it would have to shut down. Then Tesla agreed to lower the workforce at the factory from 10,000 employees down to 2,500. After more pressure from local, state, and federal officials, Tesla then agreed to close the factory in Fremont.
