Donald Trump acknowledged there could be a second wave of COVID-19 cases but says even if there is, he won't close the United States.
During a tour of a Ford manufacturing company in Michigan on Thursday, Trump was questioned by a reporter about whether he was concerned about a potential new wave of cases.
"People say that's a very distinct possibility. It's standard. And we're going to put out the fires. We're not going to close the country. We're going to put out the fires," Trump replied.
"Whether it's an ember or a flame, we're going to put it out. But we're not closing our country."
He said that the United States "is a country which is meant to be open, not closed" but so far the restrictions have saved millions of lives.
Many cities in the United States are beginning to reopen stores again and get the economy moving but there are worries as restrictions loosen, there will be a new increase in COVID-19 cases.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and White House advisor says there is "no doubt" there will be another wave.
"The virus is not going to disappear," he told the Washington Post.
"It's a highly transmissible virus. At any given time, it's some place or another. As long as that's the case, there's a risk of resurgence."
He says with flu season approaching in the Northern Hemisphere the risk will only increase.
David Rubin, the director of research institute PolicyLab, said some cities appear to be managing their social distancing requirements and sticking to the rules, but others such as South Florida will likely see an increase in cases.
"As communities reopen, we're starting to detect evidence of resurgence in cases in places that have overreached a bit," he told the Washington Post.
"That Southeast coast, they're just starting to open up and relax. It's a densely crowded area. There's a lot of Tinder down there."
The United States currently has the most cases of coronavirus in the world at 1.5 million and there have been over 94,000 deaths, according to tracking data from John Hopkins University.
