COVID-19: what is not being addressed

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases nears 27 million, there is a rush to answer (what next) and a rush to act (to solve the immediate problems of COVID-19). This paper discusses, with a specific focus on urban areas in the global South, what is missing to date from this response. That includes an identification of things that there are too much of, things that are not being done at all, and things that are unbalanced. There has been an enormous upsurge of academic research papers and opinions on COVID-19. ?Technological? and ?scientific? solutions tend to overshadow other approaches, even if people know that ?social is important?. Based on our analysis to date, our primary concern is that there is too little understanding about the importance of building dialogue, exploring collaboration and co-producing solutions. There is too little understanding as to why social and cultural responses are important, and how the recognition that they are important can be actioned.

COVID-19 challenges and WASH in informal settlements: Integrated action supported by the sustainable development goals.

•COVID-19 has exposed service gaps in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in informal settlments in cities.•The vulnerability of informal settlements to COVID-19 is not accidental, but a result of the type of cities that were built.•The Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for integrated actions in WASH benefitting other sectors.•Partnerships for interventions must consider scalar dynamics with different responses taken at different governance levels.