Tesla ordered to keep US vehicle factory in Fremont closed amid lockdown

Elon Musk has said those employees who do not feel comfortable coming back to work are not obligated to do so

Tesla Inc "must not reopen" its vehicle factory in the San Francisco Bay area as local lockdown measures to curb the spread of coronavirus remain in effect, the local county health department said on Friday.

The comments came after Tesla's chief executive, Elon Musk, told employees Thursday evening that limited production would restart at the factory in Fremont, Tesla's only US vehicle factory, on Friday afternoon.

California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday afternoon said that manufacturers in the state would be allowed to reopen. But Alameda County, where the factory is located, is scheduled to remain shut until the end of