The US President has promised he will not close the US again if another wave of the virus flares up as most states look to ease lockdowns.
“We are going to put out the fires, we’re not going to close the country, we’re going to put out the fire,” Trump said during a tour of a Ford car factory in Michigan now making ventilators in response to the pandemic.
“Whether it’s an ember or it’s a flame we’re going to put it out,” he added.
The majority of the 50 states have begun to lift quarantine measures, with Republican-led states driving the push to re-open despite warnings from health experts that the country could experience a second wave.
“People say that’s a very distinct possibility, it’s standard,” Trump said during the tour – where he did not wear a mask despite a state law and company policy requiring people to cover their faces.
There are now at least 1.5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US – and over 93,439 deaths –according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins.
But with the number of Americans filing for unemployment reaching 38 million this week – around 11.5% of the US’ total population, you can understand why the President is willing to take the risk.