“I’m just curious, what in the world are they supposed to discuss? like, there are so many variables–how spreadable might it be, how dangerous, how many people might already be infected… are they going to make an algorithm with the different factors and decide based on that what measures to take?”
Exactly they discuss all those things.
They have had such discussions in the past as you mentioned, and as you would hope
Fire fighters run practice drills, doctors run mock “codes” of course each situation is different, that is MORE of a reason to prepare and prepare not less.