Tesla is planning to resume production at the Shanghai factory starting Monday, according to two sources. This comes as the city’s first batch of workers will be released from the lockdown it imposed in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
The U.S. automaker’s Shanghai plant, which produces cars for China, was shut down by the government on March 28. It started in the area east of the city’s Huangpu River, where Tesla’s plant is.
One source told Reuters that Tesla’s resumption plans may change because of Shanghai’s COVID-19 policies.
Tesla originally planned to suspend operations for just four days. However, production plans were cancelled for Friday and Saturday when the authorities tightened movement restrictions in the east half of the city. Currently, almost all of Shanghai is under lockdown.
This suspension of seven days is the longest since production began in late 2019 at the factory. One person said that Tesla produces 6,000 Model 3 cars and 10,000 Model Y cars each week at its Shanghai factory.
Tesla did not immediately reply to Reuter’s requests for comment.
Elon Musk, the chief executive officer of the company, tweeted that it was an “exceptionally” difficult quarter because of supply chain interruptions and China’s zero Covid policy.
