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This year is 2020, and a virus of unknown origin is raging around the world. It started in Wuhan, China, but due to air travel, many cities in the world began to be infected almost at the same time.
Now, imagine that the world hit by this virus has achieved Sustainable Development Goal 6, which is to ensure that all people have access to water and sanitation without any discrimination. Washing hands frequently with water and soap is a necessity that was previously unavailable to 40% of the world’s population. It is a simple daily life for everyone, not a privilege and luxury for some people.
In this fictitious world, how did the new coronavirus evolve and what is its impact?
More than one billion people living in slums and informal settlements now have reliable and continuous water supply, permanent hand washing facilities and adequate toilets. No one is forced to line up in front of the public water pump to fetch water for their families, and no one uses the public toilets shared by many families.
Imagine that the world population has such a huge sewer sanitation facility, and the government uses research at these locations to track and identify COVID-19 hotspots, including the existence of any variants, so that they can act quickly. People can better limit contact with others and reduce the chance of exposure to the virus.
The 1.8 billion people who used or worked in medical institutions without basic water services now have regular access to water and soap. Since frequent and correct hand hygiene is one of the most important measures to prevent COVID-19 infection, the number of infections has decreased. At the same time, one-fifth of respiratory infections have been prevented, the number of diarrhea has been reduced by nearly half, and doctors are better able to combat antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, the virus puts less pressure on the healthcare system, thereby reducing interference with preventive, routine and non-emergency healthcare.
All workplaces and all workers, especially immigrants and irregular workers who make up 60% of the world’s workforce and cannot afford to lose their jobs during the pandemic, can comply with the precautionary measures for hand washing prescribed by the health authorities, thereby reducing their exposure to the virus and reducing the risk of infection. In 2020 alone, the world will not lose 255 million jobs, which puts less pressure on public and private budgets.
All schools-including 43% of the facilities that previously did not wash their hands with soap-are now available, which has a direct and positive impact on the health of children, teachers and other school staff. Children are absent from school, more teachers are healthy and competent for the job, and schools can operate more effectively.
As a result of lower healthcare costs, improved education, and increased productivity, the knock-on effect of access to water and sanitation in schools and workplaces has resulted in a 1.5% increase in global GDP, with a return of $4.3 for every dollar invested. In this fictitious world, water, sanitation, and personal hygiene can not only help the government slow the spread of COVID-19, but also limit the economic impact.
Overall, everyone’s environmental hygiene and personal hygiene have reduced the risk of contracting COVID-19 by 36%. With the formation of the vaccine race, it is estimated that between 25,000 and 6.7 million lives can be saved.
But this is not the world we live in. All this is fantasy.
We live in a world where more than 2 billion people do not have access to water, more than 4 billion people do not have access to sanitation facilities, and more than 3 billion people cannot wash their hands with water and soap. In the least developed countries, nearly 75% of people cannot meet these basic needs. Those who are most likely to be seriously ill due to COVID-19 are, to a large extent, those who lack safe jobs, housing, land, education, medical care and water, sanitation and personal hygiene.
The story of COVID-19 is full of failures to stop the continued spread of this deadly virus. As we work to end this epidemic and move forward more effectively, governments at national, regional and global levels must give priority to providing tap water, soap and toilets for all so that all people around the world can realize these basic human rights .
We don’t have to imagine another world. It is within our range.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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