CAT/OP/11 institution should be of short duration and be determined on the basis of what is strictly necessary, with a view to the team taking the precautionary, safety and hygiene measures necessary.15 Participants are invited to be mindful of the high-traffic surfaces with which they may come into contact. H. Individual interviews 39. WHO has indicated that persons deprived of liberty are one of the most vulnerable populations with respect to the pandemic. 16 In this regard, the members of the national preventive mechanism visiting team are invited to take all possible measures to ensure their protection during an exchange. In addition, given physical distancing requirements, individual interviews are preferable to group interviews, keeping in mind the following: (a) Individual interviews with persons deprived of liberty and possibly with staff should only take place in line with the level of protection selected. It is preferable to carry out the interviews outside or in a well-ventilated room; (b) When asking a person for an interview, the national preventive mechanism is invited to make sure that the individual understands the measures taken to prevent the transmission of the virus responsible for COVID-19, and agrees to have a conversation; (c) The national preventive mechanism should have additional masks on hand so that they may provide one to the interviewee, in case there are none available during the interview;17 (d) The visiting team is invited to explore how to meet possible requirements for contact tracing during the pandemic, while at the same time ensuring confidentiality. I. Special points to be observed 40. The pandemic has created new areas of interest for monitoring bodies. National preventive mechanisms may wish to include new topics in their reports in this regard. 18 In addition, and in order to document State party responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the national preventive mechanism may choose to: (a) of liberty; (b) Visit places of medical isolation or quarantine within the place of deprivation Visit new places of quarantine established in light of the pandemic; (c) Add new topics and new questions to their usual interviews that are related to the pandemic experience, e.g. in relation to restrictions for the detainees and mitigation measures, as well as the measures put in place to prevent and control the spread of the virus;19 (d) J. Fill out the checklist created by WHO.20 Leaving a place of deprivation of liberty 41. All participants in the visiting team must wash or sanitize their hands upon their departure from the visited institution. They should be careful to not leave anything behind upon completion of their visit that could be a vector for infection, including pens, sanitizers 15 16 17 18 19 20 Ibid. See www.who.int/news/item/13-05-2020-unodc-who-unaids-and-ohchr-joint-statement-on-covid-19in-prisons-and-other-closed-settings. “Guidance: monitoring places of detention through the COVID-19 pandemic”. Lisa Michaelsen and Kalliopi Kambanella, “Global guidance on preventive monitoring of places of detention during the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical tool” (2020). “Global guidance on preventive monitoring of places of detention during the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical tool”. WHO, “Checklist to evaluate preparedness, prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention”, 9 April 2020. 7