Tesla Asks Employees To Return To Work Although Coronavirus Lockout Hasn’t Ended

Tesla is anxious to return to normal, even if it means disregarding California's coronavirus lockdown. Per the New York Post, the electric car company has asked some paint and stamping operations workers to report back to the factory in Fremont, California, on Wednesday. The Bay Area's "shelter in place" order is scheduled to end Saturday, and there is currently no word on whether on if that restriction will change.

Tesla did not immediately respond to the Post's request for comment.

The automaker closed the plant on March 23, but only after a standoff with local authorities over whether the business was essential. According to the New York Post, at the time, Tesla "directed staff who work in factory production to continue coming to work, with one anonymous worker telling Reuters Thursday that vehicle production 'appeared to continue unchanged.'" Witnesses also reported seeing "thousands of cars" in the parking lot outside of the factory when businesses were supposed to be shut down.

There is no word yet on if employees in the Buffalo, New York or Nevada facilities have been called back to work.