California sets rules to reopen manufacturing; Tesla's Musk cheers

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California has set rules to allow state manufacturers to begin reopening on Friday from a coronavirus lockdown, Governor Gavin Newsom said, drawing an enthusiastic "Yeah!!" on Twitter from Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) Chief Executive Elon Musk.

But Tesla is located in one of the San Francisco Bay Area counties, Alameda, that have a separate lockdown scheduled to last until the end of May. Under that county order, Tesla's only U.S. vehicle factory, in Fremont, California, is not allowed to operate regularly.

The state order announced on Thursday does not supersede the county plan, Alameda Sheriff's Office spokesman Ray Kelly told Reuters by text message.

The state plan outlined by the governor includes several requirements for reopening, such as implementing physical distancing, screening workers and training employees on limiting spread of the virus.

Musk has criticized the lockdown and has been eager to reopen the Tesla factory. Musk is also CEO of rocket and spacecraft company SpaceX.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Peter Henderson in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, Calif., and Tina Bellon in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)

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