Thread by @DrEricDing

Oh my....

Tesla’s SF area factory recorded 450 #COVID19 cases in workers following CEO Elon Musk’s defiant reopening of the plant in May, according to county-level data obtained by a legal transparency website. Musk dared officials to arrest him. 🧵
washingtonpost.com/technology/202…

2) The document, obtained following a court ruling this year, showed Tesla received around 10 reports of #COVID19 in May when the plant reopened, and saw a steady rise in cases all the way up to 125 in December, as the disease peaked around the country.

3) The revelation follows The Washington Post’s reporting in June that there had been multiple covid-19 cases reported at Tesla’s facilities in Fremont, Calif., after Musk decided to reopen despite a countywide stay-at-home order, daring officials to arrest him.

4) “The data, covering the months between May and December, showed there were around 450 total reported cases. Roughly 10,000 people work at the plant.

5) “For nearly a year, the Alameda County Public Health Department said it could not release data on the number of cases under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which grants privacy for health records.

6) “As part of an agreement struck in mid-May allowing Tesla to reopen, Tesla was required to report positive cases to the health department. Despite around 10 cases in May, the health department told WaPost in early June that there were no known cases of workplace infections

7) “Musk fought vigorously against county-mandated shutdown, arguing Tesla should be allowed to continue producing cars despite the stay-at-home orders. In late April, he railed against government mandates, hurling expletives during an earnings call and calling them “fascist.”

8) “By May 11, Tesla was reopening, ultimately drawing support from anti-shutdown crowds and even Trump.

“Tesla is restarting production today against Alameda County rules,” he wrote. “I will be on the line with everyone else. If anyone is arrested, I ask that it only be me.

9) Tesla also came under fire for its treatment of workers. It had promised they could remain home if they felt uncomfortable returning. The Post reported in June-July that workers concerned about #COVID19 exposure received termination notices after they did not return to work.

10) FWIW, I was a fan of Musk’s efforts of Tesla for pushing green technology solutions, and SpaceX for pushing space exploration. But one can respect the mission while criticizing the workplace conditions created by its leadership. @elonmusk can do better. I know he can.

11) Musk drew criticism for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, after initially calling panic over the disease “dumb” and predicting there would be “close to zero new cases” by last April.

12) On Friday, he sent a tweet casting doubt on aspects of coronavirus vaccines, despite medical experts’ assurances that they are safe and encouragement to the broader public to receive both doses of those that require it.

13) I responded to that newest tweet of his.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1370604689226620929

14) And no, Tesla is not leaving Fremont as Musk threatened last year. So he does know how to backtrack when he needs to. And here, He needs to on worker safety. latimes.com/business/story…

15) So how does Tesla factory rates compare versus @AlamedaCounty #COVID19 cases as a whole?

Well, let’s take 51611 cases by Dec 31, subtract all cases before May 31, then divided by Alameda pop==>0.02869

At @Tesla, rate is 0.044 for same period.

➡️53.4% higher in Tesla!