Imagine a time when your virus-blocking face covering is like an umbrella. Most days, it stays in your closet or is stowed somewhere in your car. But when a COVID-19 outbreak is in the forecast, you can put it to use.
Beyond that, an inclement viral forecast might induce you to choose an outdoor table when meeting a friend for coffee. If catching the coronavirus is likely to make you seriously ill, you might opt to work from home or attend church services online until the threat has passed.
Such a future assumes that Americans will heed public health warnings about the pandemic virus — and that is a big if. It also assumes the existence of a system that can reliably predict imminent outbreaks with few false alarms, and with enough timeliness and geographic precision that the public will trust its forecasts.
