new detailed national road map for how the country will prepare for future outbreaks. might not be a return to normal but it could be the new normal. here is cbs' mola lenghi. >> we are moving forward safely. >> reporter: the new covid plan includes an aggressive monitoring system that the white house says can detect new variants earlier and trigger a faster response with vaccines and treatment. >> i'm good. >> the president's plan launches a new test-to-treat initiative to provide individuals access to testing and treatment for free, all in one stop. >> reporter: but it's those new variants, warns dr. peter hotez, that could slow the progress the country is now making. >> i think the only asterisk that you have to put on that is that this is more of a pause than the end of the epidemic in the united states. so many of us are anticipating the rise of another variant of concern. >> reporter: still, baltimore, boston, and philadelphia are dropping indoor mask