CAT/C/70/2 within the framework of the Optional Protocol for all those responsible for, and undertaking preventive visits to, places of deprivation of liberty. 7. The Subcommittee would emphasize that while the manner in which preventive visiting is conducted will almost certainly be affected by necessary measures taken in the interests of public health, this does not mean that preventive visiting should cease. On the contrary, the potential exposure to the risk of ill-treatment faced by those in places of detention may be heightened as a consequence of such public health measures taken. The Subcommittee considers that national preventive mechanisms should continue to undertake visits of a preventive nature, respecting necessary limitations on the manner in which their visits are undertaken. It is particularly important at this time that national preventive mechanisms ensure that effective measures are taken to reduce the possibility of detainees suffering forms of inhuman and degrading treatment as a result of the very real pressures that detention systems and those responsible for them now face. II. Measures to be taken by authorities concerning all places of deprivation of liberty, including detention facilities, immigration detention centres, closed refugee camps, psychiatric hospitals and other medical settings 8. It is axiomatic that the State is responsible for the health care of those whom it holds in custody, and that it has a duty of care to its staff and personnel working in detention facilities, including health-care staff. As set out in rule 24 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules), prisoners should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community, and should have access to necessary health-care services free of charge without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status. 9. Given the heightened risk of contagion among those in custodial and other detention settings, the Subcommittee urges all States to: (a) Conduct urgent assessments to identify those individuals most at risk within the detained populations, taking account of all particular vulnerable groups; (b) Reduce prison populations and other detention populations, wherever possible, by implementing schemes of early, provisional or temporary release for those detainees for whom it is safe to do so, taking full account of the non-custodial measures indicated, as provided for in the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules); (c) Place particular emphasis on places of detention where occupancy exceeds the official capacity, and where the official capacity is based on a calculation of square metreage per person that does not permit social distancing in accordance with the standard guidance given to the general population as a whole; (d) Review all cases of pretrial detention in order to determine whether it is strictly necessary in the light of the prevailing public health emergency and to extend the use of bail for all but the most serious of cases; (e) Review the use of immigration detention centres and closed refugee camps with a view to reducing their populations to the lowest possible level; (f) Consider that release from detention should be subject to screening in order to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place for those who are either positive for COVID-19 virus or are particularly vulnerable to infection; (g) Ensure that any restrictions on existing regimes are minimized, proportionate to the nature of the health emergency, and in accordance with law; coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic”, CPT/Inf(2020)13, 20 March 2020. Available at https://rm.coe.int/16809cfa4b. 12