You know what would the "middle ground" solution be? Government buying masks at those spike prices to give them away for free to people who need them. This way

You know what would the "middle ground" solution be? Government buying masks at those spike prices to give them away for free to people who need them. This way you get all the benefits: everyone gets a mask when they need one and producers get incentive to increase supply. Now an interesting plot twist: Those masks not only do not protect against coronavirus (because the virus is too small, and can get through), they actually increase the risk of infection (because they serve as virus incubators, especially when they become wet)