Elon Musk has arranged for the donation of hundreds of ventilators to New York, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has confirmed. De Blasio tweeted thanks to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO for the assistance.
Musk has been a critic of much of the global response to the coronavirus crisis — previously commenting that it is dumb and that children are “essentially immune,” which many experts say is incorrect — but has stepped up efforts at his companies to help combat it.
(Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Image)
Musk also said he is aiming to reopen and retool Tesla’s factory in Buffalo, N.Y., to manufacture a modified version of a Medtronic ventilator. Medtronic CEO Omar Ishrak told CNBC this week that the unit is one of its low-grade models, not one of its critical care models.
Musk’s companies have also donated protective equipment, including masks, directly to medical facilities in California.
Tesla joined other automakers in idling production at its Fremont, Calif., and Buffalo, N.Y., facilities this week, but its battery plant in Sparks, Nev., remains open. However, Reuters reported that the local county manager said Tesla will now be reducing staff there by 75 percent.
Fox News reached out to Tesla for comment, but it doesn’t typically respond to such requests.
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