Trump vows 'we're not gonna close the country' if a 2nd coronavirus wave hits

President Trump tours a Ford factory while holding a mask.

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

President Trump is not planning to send the U.S. into another quarantine.

While COVID-19 cases are starting to slow in the hardest hit areas and the biggest cities of the U.S., less populous areas have yet to hit their peak. That, combined with warming weather, could stem the coronavirus' spread for the summer — but also plunge the U.S. into a new wave once fall rolls around. Trump acknowledged the likelihood of a second round of coronavirus while visiting a Ford plant on Thursday, saying "people say that's a very distinct possibility." But while "we're gonna put out the fires, we're not gonna close the country," Trump promised.

Medical experts have warned against reopening the U.S. too soon, and advocated for people to continue social distancing as long as possible. They've also been clear about the fact that warming weather could make it seem the U.S. has beaten the coronavirus even when it hasn't — two facts Trump ignored with his Thursday comments.

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Also during the Ford visit, Trump refused to wear a mask in front of the press, and then made this questionable comment. Kathryn Krawczyk

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.