Elon Musk says sick staff can stay home but he will be going to work every day

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Musk, 48, sent a memo to Tesla staff Monday saying anyone who felt ill or uncomfortable coming to work due to COVID-19 should stay home
But he also downplayed the risks of the disease, writing 'the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds that of the virus itself'
Musk, who is having a baby with singer Grimes, said he will continue coming to work
Tech billionaire previously dismissed coronavirus panic as 'dumb' in a tweet
He also sent a memo to SpaceX staff Friday arguing odds of dying from coronavirus were much lower than those of being killed in a car crash
Tesla's Fremont plant located in one of six Bay Area counties covered by 'shelter-in-place' order remained open thanks to 'essential business' exemption
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Published: 12:49 EDT, 17 March 2020 | Updated: 19:02 EDT, 17 March 2020

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent employees an email on Monday telling them to stay at home if they felt ill or uncomfortable over the coronavirus outbreak, but said that he will continue coming to work.

The 48-year-old tech billionaire, whose 32-year-old musician girlfriend, Grimes, is pregnant with the couple's first child, downplayed the risks of the novel coronavirus pandemic in his letter to staff.

'My frank opinion is that the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds that of the virus itself,' he wrote.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk sent employees an email on Monday telling them to stay at home 'if they felt the slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable' over the coronavirus outbreak

Musk wrote that he intended to continue coming to work every day at the Tesla HQ in Palo alto (pictured) as he downplayed the risks of the pandemic

As of Thursday afternoon, there were 5,983 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 100 deaths in the US

It was a more measured reaction to the pandemic compared to Musk's tweet from March 6 in which he wrote: 'the coronavirus panic is dumb.'

The South African native living in California estimated that COVID-19 will not effect more than '0.1% of the population,' which would amount to some 327,000 people.

The 48-year-old tech billionaire is having a baby with 32-year-old singer girlfriend, Grimes (pictured together at The Met Gala in May 2018)

Epidemiologists at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently prepared four models showing a possible range of fatalities stemming from COVID-19, from 200,000 to 1.7million Americans.

'I'd like to be super clear that if you feel the slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable, please do not feel obligated to come to work,' Musk said in the internal memo that sources read out for Reuters over the phone.

'I will personally be at work, but that's just me. Totally ok if you want to stay home for any reason,' Musk said, adding he was not aware of any Tesla employee who had tested positive for the coronavirus.

The memo comes just days after Musk sent a letter to staff at SpaceX, where he also serves as CEO, arguing that the odds of dying from coronavirus were much lower than those of being killed in a car crash, reported Business Insider.

Musk also expressed concerns over the government's response to the outbreak, tweeting on Monday that 'if we over-allocate medical resources to corona, it will come at expense of treating other illnesses.'

On March 6, Musk dismissed the coronavirus panic as 'dumb' in this tweet

Tesla's Fremont electric vehicle assembly plant located in Alameda County remained opened Tuesday, despite a 'shelter in place' order

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 5,983 confirmed cases of the respiratory virus and 100 deaths in the US.

Multiple counties in California's Bay Area, including Santa Clara where Tesla is headquartered, have ordered residents to stay indoors and shelter in place for three weeks beginning this morning.

Alameda County, which is home to Tesla's Fremont electric vehicle assembly plant, is also under the 'shelter-in-place' order, but the factory employing more than 10,000 people remained open on Tuesday.

Citing a county spokesman, the Los Angeles Times said Alameda County had declared Tesla an 'essential business' that is allowed to remain in operation.

Covid-19 Elon Musk