Tesla workers at the car manufacturing facility in Shanghai will be asked to sleep on the factory floor as the electric car company resumes production after a three-week halt. According to sources for Bloomberg, the facility will operate under a "closed loop" system to avoid further shutdowns amid China's zero-tolerance policy for COVID-19.
The electric car manufacturer sent a memo to its employees detailing how the system works, which Bloomberg obtained. Tesla will provide workers with sleeping bags and mattresses and will designate part of the factory floor for sleeping. The memo also mentioned that there will be areas for showering, eating, and recreation, but the company is still in the preparation phase.
Tesla has also planned temperature checks and COVID-19 testing for workers, according to the memo. The company will provide workers with a food allowance of about $63 per day, although this amount may vary depending on the worker's status in the company, as reported by Bloomberg sources.
Newly arrived workers resumed work on Monday and are expected to remain in the closed-loop system until around May 1. They are also scheduled to work 12-hour shifts with one day off every six days, compared to previous 8-hour shifts with four days on and two days off.
Tesla is not the only company implementing a closed-loop system; earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that nearly 5,000 workers at China’s largest automobile manufacturer, SAIC Motor, were living on-site in shared dormitories amid the lockdown. While Tesla's Shanghai facility does not have living spaces, many Chinese manufacturing companies offer dormitories, cafeterias, and other amenities for workers.
Since opening in 2018, Tesla's massive Shanghai plant has become an increasingly significant part of the carmaker’s operations. Before Shanghai's lockdown began on March 28, the factory was producing over 2,000 cars daily, contributing to about half of the vehicles delivered by Tesla worldwide last year.
