COVID-19 Informer: When water shortages take coronavirus to a new level

And for a fair slice of Australia that's perfectly sensible. But for a moment just assume running water is not the norm - and that a functioning bathroom, laundry and toilet do not exist in your community.

It is a situation which presents itself daily for many remote Indigenous communities in Australia.

These communities have taken effective action to quarantine residents against the risks of COVID-19. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group helped develop a plan which restricted access to these communities to essential visitors only.

Obviously, the remoteness helps, too. But so too would "better health hardware". The hardware many of us take for granted.

Australia is not alone in facing this challenge. According to a report released last year, more than 2 million Americans do not have indoor plumbing. Far greater numbers do not believe that their water supplies are safe or cannot afford to pay for them.

Just as there were toilet paper issues the world over, coronavirus created shortages of bottled water in many communities where it is considered a staple. That, in turn, brings profiteering.

In California's Salinas Valley, Horacio Amezquita, general manager of the San Jerardo Cooperative, says he has seen prices for bottled water rise from 20 cents to 35 cents per gallon.

"Some people are taking advantage," Amezquita told the Washington Post. He worries the elderly, the homeless and undocumented workers will be hardest hit.

Meanwhile, Italy and the United States are among the countries tentatively easing coronavirus lockdowns to revive economies as global deaths surpassed a quarter of a million.

Hairdressers, ironmongers and other shops tentatively opened as Spain, too, began a phased reopening. Similar phased steps were taken in other countries, from Portugal and Belgium to India and Israel.

Overnight here at home, the Queen checked in with PM Scott Morrison. Among other issues, she was "very interested to hear about our progress in combatting COVID-19 and was so pleased we have managed to prevent the terrible impacts," the PM wrote on Instagram.

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