After all, who has to be studied: The coronavirus, Brazilians, or their administrators?

This article discusses one of the great governmental challenges of the last centuries—universalization of access to potable water and sanitation services (WSS)—in view of the geographical difficulties for the provision of services in certain regions, and differences in ability to pay for water and sanitation services. It is necessary to reinforce the various links between social and environmental conditions. A review of the literature finds that countries work differently on the approach to universal access to water and sanitation services (Marques, 2010), addressing the problem according to their laws with variable results in how these services are defined. In order to achieve the desired universalization of water and sanitation services in Brazil, in addition to the investment of significant amounts of money, coordinated administration is necessary to leverage these investments. In addition to this challenging scenario, the present moment is worrying! At the beginning of the 21st century, a new pandemic is causing deaths at an alarming rate. Most countries around the world are combating the new coronavirus that has disrupted economies, caused panic, and raised hypotheses about political hegemonies. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the disease caused by the new coronavirus (COVID‐19) to be a Public Health Emergency of International Importance—the highest alert level of the Organization, as provided for in the International Health Regulations. This study discusses the alignment of these dual challenges in Brazil and what can be done toward improved water and sanitation in this difficult context.