X

Tesla will stay open under California's new coronavirus curfew rule

California's curfew deems manufacturing essential, unlike the last lockdown, allowing the electric carmaker to keep operating.

Tesla Fremont factory
Enlarge Image
Tesla Fremont factory

Tesla is free to operate.

Tesla

Tesla  and other manufacturing companies have secured an exemption from a new curfew in California as the state tries to slow the spread of the  coronavirus Reuters reports. It likely comes as a relief for Tesla employees, and the company itself, which during the first lockdown in March fought tooth and nail to stay open before shutting down, and then reopening ahead of schedule -- legal brawls and all.

The exemption will see Tesla's car plant in Fremont continue to hum along as businesses deemed nonessential must close at 10 p.m. each night and remain closed until 5 a.m. the next day. COVID-19 infections continue to skyrocket as people socialize inside as cooler weather settles in across the country, and state and local governments are once again tasked to find a balance between securing public health and keeping their economies going.

There's one caveat in the the curfew rule that applies to most of California's counties: Counties themselves can impose stricter measures. In Alameda County, where Tesla's plant is located, officials could roll out tighter rules to shut down manufacturing. There's no indication yet that the county will, but should it do so, it's quite likely we'd see Tesla push back just as hard as last time.

After about six weeks of downtime, Tesla CEO Elon Musk reopened the Fremont facility in May before the county gave a green light to restart production and bring employees back to work. Musk said he was prepared to be arrested and threatened to move all of Tesla's operations out of California to another state in the process. The automaker and the county eventually agreed to a compromise that gave the carmaker an official OK to restart all business activities.

Tesla Cybertruck is like nothing else, and it'll be built in Austin

See all photos
Watch this: Elon Musk and Tesla vs. California's quarantine
Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.

Article updated on November 23, 2020 at 6:47 AM PST

Our Experts

Written by 
Sean Szymkowski
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review the products and services we cover. If you buy through our links, we may get paid. Reviews ethics statement
Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Why You Can Trust CNET
174175176177178179180+
Experts Interviewed
030405060708091011121314+
Companies Reviewed
108109110111112113+
Products Reviewed

We thoroughly evaluate each company and product we review and ensure our stories meet our high editorial standards.