On the 11 March 2020, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Other coronavirus outbreaks which have occurred include the 2002–2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), first reported in 2012. Outbreaks like these can impact sexual and reproductive health and rights in various ways, at individual, systems and societal levels, and some of these implications are considered in the article.