Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he has contracted Covid again

SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter Monday that he has contracted COVID-19.

This announcement comes after the Tesla factory in Shanghai Faced with Covid regional restrictions which is said to require it Production halted for four days Until about 1 April. China is locking down the city in two phases to control the Covid-19 outbreak. Tesla also halted production in Shanghai for two days earlier in March after officials implemented Covid health orders.

On Monday, Musk wrote, “Covid-19 is Theseus virus. How many genetic changes are there before I’m Covid-19 anymore? I’m supposed to be back (sigh), but almost no symptoms.” Musk offered no explanation for how he tested it, or why he had any reason to doubt the results.

Musk has a history of downplaying the novel coronavirus and dismissing health officials.

In February 2020, when Covid began to affect the United States, Musk incorrectly estimated that the virus would be gone by April 2020. By November 2020, he announced that he had tested positive for Covid.

When Covid numbers were rising in California, in April 2020, Musk called health restrictions “Fascism” in a rant full of swear words during a company earnings call. The CEO kept his company’s plant in Fremont, California running Despite health orders But it has not faced any repercussions from the state or Alameda County.

Tesla’s position in China is much more cooperative. Reuters A Tesla spokesperson explained that the company is striving “to fulfill its epidemic prevention responsibilities and believes Shanghai’s COVID-19 measures have helped lay the foundation for the city’s future development.”

CNBC asked Tesla how this would affect production and delivery. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tesla delivered 473,078 electric cars made in Shanghai to its customers in 2021, according to data from the China Passenger Car Association. It now produces Model 3 and Model Y cars there, and sells them in China and abroad to customers in Europe and throughout Asia.

Tesla is expanding its manufacturing capabilities. She recently held a ribbon-cutting party at a new plant under construction in Brandenburg, Germany and got conditional approval for commercial production there.

And it’s planning a “Cyber ​​Rodeo” grand opening event for another massive new plant in Austin, Texas on April 7.

Tesla, like other automakers, faces widespread chip shortages, inflationary pressure, and supply chain disruptions exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

But despite production challenges and Musk’s diagnosis of Covid, Tesla shares rose more than 8% in the middle of the trading day after the company Announced plans for another stock split.