Thomson Reuters: Coronavirus – wake-up call to ensure water and sanitation for all

Today, many people lack access to the most basic weapons to shield themselves from COVID-19: water and soap.

The coronavirus has now reached the pandemic stage and continues to spread globally, and hand washing is the most important precaution by health authorities to stop the virus. COVID-19 is a deadly reminder that inclusive water supply and sanitation matters for all of us.

Today, many people lack of access to the most basic weapons to shield themselves from COVID-19: water and soap. UN-water reports that 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely-managed drinking water, while 4.2 billion go without safe sanitation services and three billion lack basic handwashing facilities. Furthermore, an estimated 896 million people use health care facilities with no water service and 1.5 billion use facilities with no sanitation service. These conditions present a constant source of stress and disease, particularly for vulnerable and marginalised communities where people sometimes need to skip bathing to save water for cooking.