[cameldrv]

Fair enough, but wouldn't it make sense to have a stockpile of reusable PPE that could last through a crisis? Then if you ran out of disposable PPE you could switch to the reusable stuff. Perhaps mistakes would be made in disinfecting it, but it's certainly better than people wearing substandard masks and garbage bags.

We're now forced to reuse disposable PPE due to the shortage. It would have made a lot more sense to be reusing PPE designed in the first place to be reused.

[nickff]

If you can design and reliably manufacture re-usable PPE, I am certain there would be a market for it.

I design some non-medical mechanical assemblies (various types, for use with electronic equiment), and have no idea how I would design (reliably manufacturable) re-usable PPE for use in a biohazardous environment. As far as I can see, the problems would mostly be in the joints and fastening features between different materials. Some features (such as filters) will likely need to remain at least somewhat disposable, as I believe that all biofilters have a limited lifespan.