SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne sees COVID-19 outbreak with 132 cases – KABC-TV

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KABC) — In the largest recent Los Angeles County workplace outbreak, at least 132 workers at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne have been infected with COVID-19, according to new county data.

The county’s latest compilation of outbreaks at workplaces that don’t include residential facilities puts the rocket company at the top of the list, far ahead of the 85 cases at the FedEx facility near Los Angeles International Airport.

The list includes 37 workplaces with a total of 452 cases.

The Hawthorne facility serves as both the company’s headquarters, mission control and manufacturing for Falcon 9 rockets.

The outbreak comes as COVID-19 cases are once again rising in California and throughout the country, amid increased holiday travel and gatherings, and the spread of the omicron variant. Los Angeles County recently reported its highest number of daily cases since August.

The county investigates large workplace outbreaks of the coronavirus but it was not immediately clear what steps would be taken by local health officials or SpaceX corporate leaders to address the high number of cases.

Eyewitness News has reached out to SpaceX for comment.

It comes at a busy time for Elon Musk’s company, which has had several major launches in recent weeks.

Last month, NASA launched a mission on a SpaceX rocket to smash into an asteroid and test whether it is possible to knock it off from a collision course toward Earth.

NASA launches spacecraft on SpaceX rocket to smash into asteroid

DEVELOPING: This story will be updated.