[bsder]

> 1. you go out, you wear a mask

If you can get a mask.

The mask manufacturers in the West are not going to ramp up without a significant amount of money up front. The last time they did with SARS they almost went bankrupt after it fizzled out and demand collapsed:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/02/15/coronavir...

So, you need the US government to either command or fund the manufacturing ramp up.

Unfortunately, that requires people in charge who actually don't suffer from cranio-rectal impaction.

[roenxi]

Or we could encourage mask producers to charge more during a crisis.

If mask producers could charge enough that the masks weren't quite fly off the shelves, we would be swimming in masks made and kept in storage for times of pandemic. It is pretty obvious what happens; producers are shamed into not making a profit when demand is high so they don't bother to produce.