I was really looking forward to the court challenges on this one, and am a bit disappointed the county caved.<p>Bottom line, we have local officials making decrees and proclamations with no legislative basis -- often the legislature is not even in session as one proclamation is made after another -- and they are curtailing things like right to assemble, right to hold religious services, and interstate commerce.<p>This needs court challenges all across the country, and unfortunately only the wealthy can afford a big legal fight. Most of them can easily hide in luxurious compounds and aren't impacted nearly as much as those dependent on a regular income, so Elon Musk was doing a public service by openly challenging these decrees and daring someone to arrest him for a crime that doesn't actually exist in any state legal code.
There's an amazing amount of emphasis in these comments on strict adhesion to the law and not enough on the actual risk of harm if the site continues to go about reopening.<p>Honestly, if a company wants to disobey a government edict that's for the good of the people when there's no law to back it up, so be it; I hope the people and estates of those who are injured or killed can use the judiciary to sufficient ends to become somewhat close to whole again.
It's asinine for factories to be kept closed while big box stores are open. I know some people who work in the latter and they've had customers refusing to wear masks, spitting on employees (cops called), etc. Factories have the ability to strictly regulate distancing and mask use and are heavily monitored places, so they are much safer.
Is there a risk that Tesla's factory opening will spark a COVID outbreak? Is there any personal or financial risk for Elon in the case of such an outbreak? How would the answers to these questions influence your decisions if you were Elon?