Yes, there are a lot of “unknowns”. For example, it isn’t practical for hospitals to keep tons of these machines lying around when we’ve had plenty for decades - and they may be called upon every 100 years for an epidemic like this.
I do believe the “social distancing” will linger (in a good way), and I also believe some people will be moving/changing their jobs as they realize they don’t need to be tied to urban areas/surrounding suburbs anymore.
Yes. I see urban areas depopulating, too. How that works itself out will be interesting to see.
There will always be the need for cities, but perhaps this phenomenon will give a boost to smaller cities around the country so that population is more dispersed.
I hope that is the case, because I live in one now. I have also lived in one of the largest cities in the country. I much prefer where I live now.
I think the answer for the respirators, PPE, etc, is that we need to make sure that we have enough dual purpose manufacturing in this country to handle surges in demand.