Sorry to be late to the thread. Bad as pandemics are I don't think de-densifying or getting rid of mass transit will save lives. Motor vehicle deaths dwarf pandemic deaths in the long run, for one thing, Also, these kinds of diseases eventually spread everywhere.and rural areas are not necessarily "safe" . We have a constellation of cases in the small community of Bobcaygeon, 2 hours outside of Toronto for example.
True story and also a Canadian insider joke - sorry to piggyback that onto a tragedy.