-44 • Is it a prison life management tool to deal with “problematic” prisoners? • Is it used to respond to problems of understaffing? • Is it an easy alternative to the need to protect prisoners in a situation of vulnerability, instead of the complex solutions that this would require? • Is it a means to punish violations of the prison regulation? Using a systemic approach also means acting upon the identified root causes by suggesting alternative solutions. To reduce the use of solitary confinement the NPM should ask itself - and the prison administration - whether there are any alternative solutions to solitary confinement and more specifically: • Are there less stringent measures to be used to deal with detainees who are judged likely to cause, serious harm to others or who present a very serious risk to the safety or security of the prison? • Are there alternatives ways of responding to understaffing problems that do not entail the solitary confinement of prisoners? • Are there any other options that can be considered in the case of isolation for protective or health reasons? • Are there no other sanctions that can be considered in the case of isolation for disciplinary reasons? The reduction of the use of isolation is also achieved through the promotion of alternatives, which are the result of a shared path between the actors. Isolation requires specific attention. The international standards presented in this handbook are an operational tool for NPMs. But NPMs can also develop their own standards, and can deepen and detail what is left vague in the international standards. NPMs can still use international standards to push legislators to bring the national legislation closer to these standards. 4.1.1. Challenges posed to prison monitoring by SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) The Coronavirus (Covid-19) is posing new challenges to prison systems and prison monitoring. During the latest meeting with NPMs and other prison experts that took place within the project, two different problematic aspects were raised. One problematic aspect that was pointed out was that Covid-19 has changed several aspects on how NPMs monitor prison