Tesla Requiring All Employees At Nevada Factory To Mask Up

Electric automaker Tesla Inc. has informed its employees at its Nevada battery factory that it will be requiring them to wear masks at all times when they are at work starting Monday.

The company said the mandate will apply to all workers regardless of vaccination status. Tesla, who had previously been defiant of local pandemic prevention regulations, joins other U.S. companies in requiring masks as new COVID-19 cases continue to rise throughout the country.

A source within the company said masks were only ever required at Tesla's Reno facility for people who hadn't been vaccinated yet. Tesla decided to apply the rule to all employees because of the rapid spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the source said.

The Nevada government said that it may be forced to impose a mask mandate in some counties this week due to the recent surge in new infections.

The company is reportedly also adhering to updated guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In its latest guidance, the CDC said even those who have been fully vaccinated may still be susceptible to COVID-19. The agency cited new evidence of growing breakthrough cases involving vaccinated individuals and the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Tesla already imposed an indoor mask-wearing mandate at its manufacturing facility in the San Francisco Bay Area last week. Compared to other U.S. car manufacturers, Tesla has been slow to impose mask mandates. Last year, the company was widely criticized for its refusal to follow California COVID-19 rules. During a lockdown in Alameda County in May 2020, Tesla defied local regulations and kept its Fremont facility open.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk slammed officials for forcing it to shut down its plant at the time. He also threatened to sue the county and move the company's headquarters out of California. Experts said the company's decision to keep its plant open may have contributed to additional infections in the county, including Musk who contracted the virus in November last year.

Analysts stated the incident last year may have changed Tesla's tune when it came to following local COVID-19 guidelines. It is also easier for the company to comply with health mandates this time as it can still keep its factories open.