Tesla has to shut down its Fremont factory, sheriff says

Tesla has to shut down its manufacturing facility in Fremont, California, per Alameda County's order to all residents to shelter at their place of residence unless they're part of an "essential" business.

This is according to the Alameda County Sheriff's office, which tweeted Tuesday that Tesla is "not an essential business as defined in the Alameda County Health Order."

"Tesla can maintain minimum basic operations per the Alameda County Health Order," the tweet said.

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Per the Alameda County order, minimum basic operations include "the minimum necessary activities to maintain the value of the business’s inventory, ensure security, process payroll and employee benefits, or for related functions," and "the minimum necessary activities to facilitate employees of the business being able to continue to work remotely from their residences."

The order comes amid a global coronavirus outbreak, with numerous countries around the world implementing stringent measures to curb the outbreak, including closures of borders, suspension of schools, kindergartens and non-essential businesses. In California, about 20% of residents are under "shelter-in-place" orders.

Just days ago, Tesla HR sent a notice to employees, saying the company believes its services are "essential" and that it will continue operations.

Tesla did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been quite vocal about the coronavirus outbreak. On Tuesday, he tweeted that the "danger of panic still far exceeds danger of corona imo." Last week, he tweeted "the coronavirus panic is dumb."

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Tesla's Fremont factory houses more than 10,000 employees. Tesla's Model S, Model X, Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, as well as "the vast majority of the vehicle’s components," are produced in Fremont.

The coronavirus has so far killed more than 7,500 and infected more than 184,000 people. The outbreak has been worsening in the U.S. in recent weeks, with more than 6,135 confirmed cases and 112 deaths.

UPDATE: March 18, 2020, 2:45 p.m. PDT: Tesla has not, in fact, shut down its Fremont plant despite the shelter-in-place order. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Tesla instructed staff via email to report to work on Wednesday even after the Alameda County Sheriff's office declared Tesla "not an essential business."

We reached out to Tesla for comment, but received no immediate response.