I don't like De Blasio, I think Biden is a "safe" mediocrity, in that like Truman, he'll hire people smarter than himself.
In fact, what was said about FDR is still true, you want a first class temperament and a second class intellect.
Reason is the most important thing a President does is hire the right people. And manage their interactions.
You get a Lincoln once a century if you're lucky.
The pandemic was foreseeable, because it was foreseen, the reason for the group on the NSC, I'm sure there are classified military studies, and of course the 2019 "War Games" where they went through a scenario eerily similar to exactly what we're experiencing to identify problems to be addressed.
South Korea was ready because MERS and SARS scared the bejesus out of them, had they been as contagious as COVID, we might be looking at a billion dead worldwide and the collapse of numerous countries. They knew China was a giant incubator for viruses.
The whole purpose of strategic planning and scenarios is to prepare for the unexpected and long-shot events.
But there's no point if you then ignore the lessons of this planning.
First rule of crisis management, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.