Tesla extended the closure of its Shanghai plant over the weekend as COVID-19 cases rise in China.
According to the Wall Street Journal, which quoted people familiar with the matter, the Tesla factory stopped its car production on Saturday, a day earlier than planned, and will remain closed until January 2.
Reuters reported earlier this month that the Shanghai plant plans to stop production of the Model Y for the last week of December.
The Shanghai plant is the most important production factory for Tesla and accounts for the largest share of the electric vehicle manufacturer’s production volume.
The temporary closure of the plant should not affect overall production, according to the Journal, primarily because demand slowed and production capacity was increased over the summer.
The Shanghai plant was already closed earlier this year following an increase in COVID-19 infections in China.
A recent COVID-19 wave has once again hit China. The World Health Organization reported more than 20,000 confirmed cases almost every day last week.
The rise in infections is due to the fact that the ruling communist government in China has relaxed its “zero Covid” policy, which is criticized as draconian and has recently led to mass protests.