Tesla started production Monday at its Fremont, Calif. factory, days after filing a lawsuit against county officials who ordered a pause in the manufacturing line to keep employees safe from COVID-19.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, who has downplayed the virus and been critical of orders to keep the factory closed, announced the restart on Twitter.
Musk said he “will be on the line with everyone else” and asked that only he be arrested if officials decide to intervene.
Musk has been fighting with Alameda County for more than a month about the health order. Tesla initially kept the factory open despite the order, saying it qualified for an exemption as an automaker. Tesla finally suspended production on March 24 with a plan to return on May 4.
The county extended the stay-at-home order in late April, which prompted tweets from Musk such as “Free America Now.”
Bloomberg reported that Tesla had hoped to open the factory on Friday. Then, a report Monday from The Verge said that Tesla began making cars again over the weekend, bringing back enough workers to complete about 200 Model Y and Model 3 vehicles.
Musk said on Twitter Saturday that the company will move its headquarters and “future operations” out of California.
Tesla published Sunday a detailed ‘Getting Back to Work’ plan.