10 things to know today about coronavirus

Welcome to the Hill’s daily roundup of coronavirus news.

There are over 1.5 million cases of coronavirus in the United States, and nearly 94,000 deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. 

President Trump headed to a Michigan Ford factory making ventilators on Thursday where he did not wear a mask and declared the United States would not shut down if there is a second wave of the virus in the country. 

At the same time, the virus is continuing to surge in the U.S.’s new epicenter — rural counties and small towns across the South and Midwest, as well as in cities that avoided the worst of the initial wave of infections.

Here’s what to know today: 

In the Trump administration

• President Trump said he would not recommend closing the country in a second wave of coronavirus. “Whether it’s an ember or a flame, we’re going to put it out. But we’re not closing our country,” he said. Morgan Chalfant reports. 

• Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there is a “strong likelihood” that another coronavirus relief bill will be needed, as GOP lawmakers debate the scope of relief required and push back on House Democrats’ expansive proposal. Naomi Jagoda reports.

• The U.S. is awarding over $1 billion for a clinical trial and production of a potential coronavirus vaccine from AstraZeneca and Oxford University in the United States. John Bowden reports.

• Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Thursday that the U.S. is now better prepared to reopen and has more tools to fight the virus than it did a few weeks ago, though he acknowledged reopening is not “without risk.” Peter Sullivan reports. 

• President Trump did not wear a mask during a tour of a Ford factory in Michigan where ventilators are being produced despite the company’s policy requiring everyone to wear personal protective equipment. Brett Samuels reports. 

In the states

• Flareups in Southern and Midwestern states are becoming new epicenters of the outbreak, and almost 80 percent of Americans now live in counties where the virus is spreading widely, according to a new analysis. Reid Wilson reports.

• Washington, D.C., could lift its stay-at-home order and begin a phased reopening of certain businesses as soon as May 29, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced. Nathaniel Weixel reports.

• See where your state ranks on the list of most to least reopened. Alicia Cohn and Justine Coleman report. 

Other news

• A Gallup poll found that 65 percent of people said they have avoided public places in the past seven days, down from 71 percent last week, as more people venture out. Justine Coleman reports.

• The U.S. could have avoided nearly 36,000 deaths from coronavirus through early May if stay-at-home orders and other social distancing restrictions were implemented just one week earlier, a new study from Columbia University researchers shows. Justin Wise reports.