When the going gets tough, the though go...building. One of the first things our ancestors did when an epidemic was approaching was to start building plague houses, pesthäuschen, pesthuis: buildings were sick or those suspected to be infected could be treated with public funding. 
Sometimes they were large, planned, brick or stone structures, like this one in Leiden, complete with a moat, gardens. These project provided jobs when most needed and could employ vagabonds that would otherwise risk spreading the epidemics to other towns.
Since every city, town, village, or even farm, had to provide for their own sick, some plague houses were built to house at most one individual or a household, should they need to be quarantined.
In absolute emergencies many towns up to the 20th century had stocks of tents, and before that simple, disposable straw huts could be set up simple, cheaply, and quickly. Sunlight and fresh air was an added bonus.
Many plague houses were built as extensions to monasteries. the monks who had the knowhow, the resources (medicine, food), the medical skills and reliable, century old, information networks, all over Europe, were well placed to supervise and direct epidemic control and treatment.
It would be nice if our local governments could take this opportunity to build something beautiful and lasting for the good of our communities.
