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Tesla CEO Elon Musk Reopens Fremont Plant, Defying County Orders

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Monday that the company has reopened its electric car plant in Fremont in defiance of Alameda County's COVID-19 health orders that shut down the facility in late March.

Musk acknowledged on Twitter that there might be legal consequences to reopening the factory, saying, "I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me."

Musk's declarations came after reports Monday morning that the plant's employee parking lot was nearly full.

The restart violates orders from the Alameda County Public Health Department, which deemed the 10,000-worker factory a nonessential business and therefore not yet allowed to resume full operations under restrictions related to the coronavirus.

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Alameda County issued a statement saying it had notified the company that it was violating current health orders.

"We are addressing this matter using the same phased approach we use for other businesses which have violated the order in the past, and we hope that Tesla will likewise comply without further enforcement measures," the statement said.

Technology news site The Verge, quoting two anonymous plant employees, reported Monday that production had resumed at the facility over the weekend.

On Saturday, Tesla filed suit against Alameda County contending that the county's orders can't be more restrictive than the state's. Musk also threatened to move Tesla’s manufacturing and headquarters operations out of the state.

Read the full story here.

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