The article is about not being able to get long term contracts to actually make ramping up production worthwhile. Being able to gouge for a few months doesn't seem like it would help that.

Sure it would. If he could increase his margin by 500% he wouldn't need the long term contracts as much due to the massive surplus of profit he'd be able to bank while also paying his employees double time.

As the article lays out, it doesn't make sense to ramp up for a month when the demand will die down. The company can't compete in normal circumstances. It would make way more sense to simply gouge the 500x prices at the current capacity and wait it out.

If gouging were legal, a mask maker could easily go to three shifts a day instead of one, and would do everything he could to make more.

But with it illegal, you'd be relying on self-sacrifice and altruism, which isn't very reliable. Greed is a much more effective motivator.