Unfortunately, an employee working at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. COVID-19 has caused a number of disruptions both in North America and around the world. Of course, interruptions to Tesla’s operations are no exception to the outbreak.
According to a report from News 4 & Fox 11, “…the employee was onsite at the Gigafactory for one hour on Mar. 21 before going home sick. The employee has been at home since that time.” Tesla also sent an email to Tesla employees. Panasonic employees working in the same space also received the message. The email outlined Tesla’s safety procedures, stating, “This [protocol] has been activated and includes 14-day quarantine for particular employees identified by their EHS team and certain cleaning measures.”
This isn’t the first issue that coronavirus brought about for Tesla. Early on in the outbreak, Tesla was forced to shut down operations at its Shanghai Gigafactory. During the same time frame, Chinese customers received outdated hardware due to a supply chain interruption. In North America, Tesla shut down its main Fremont, California production facility in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
In light of the recent infection in Nevada, Tesla plans to reduce its workforce significantly. With reduced staff in Nevada and operations shut down in California, the company faces several challenges. Tesla electric vehicle deliveries continue in North America thanks to new contact-less delivery protocols.
