More than 400 workers at a Tesla plant in California tested positive for coronavirus between May and December, according to public health data disclosed by a transparency website.
The data provides the first glimpse of virus cases at Tesla, whose chief executive, Elon Musk, downplayed the severity of the coronavirus crisis and reopened the plant in May, defying guidelines issued by local public health officials.
Automakers across the country suspended production and closed factories for two months last year, from mid-March to mid-May. After resuming production, other automakers publicly announced when workers tested positive for the virus and stopped production to prevent new infections among employees and to disinfect work areas.
Tesla, however, has released little information about coronavirus cases among employees.
The data was obtained from the PlainSite website, which works to make legal and government documents accessible to the public. He showed that 440 cases were reported at the Tesla plant, which employs about 10,000 people. The number of cases increased to 125 in December, from less than 11 in May.