CAT/OP/11
(g)
people;
Avoid handshakes and other greetings that require physical contact with other
(h)
Avoid touching one’s face, especially after touching high-traffic surfaces such
as door handles;
(i)
Pay close attention to the personal items carried into a place of deprivation of
liberty, as they may be a source of virus transmission;
(j)
Follow all environmental cleaning and disinfection procedures correctly,
including those for surfaces and clothes.
B.
Note
32.
The visiting team may decide to upgrade this level of protective measures (see para.
9 above).
C.
Travel
33.
All participants in the visit should follow the required national guidelines during their
travel to places of deprivation of liberty.
D.
Auxiliary staff
34.
Support staff should follow the same guidelines as the national preventive mechanism
staff that will carry out the visit. The driver, if any, is tasked with cleaning the vehicle with
disinfectant after every use.
E.
Entering places of deprivation of liberty
35.
For the duration of the pandemic, entering a place of deprivation of liberty may take
longer than usual. The information collected beforehand should aid in the selection of places
to visit. The visiting team must strictly respect the prevention and protection measures
established by the institution to be monitored. It must arrive with all personal protective
equipment required to enter, in order to avoid being turned away at the door. Any doubt
regarding the measures in place should be clarified before entry.14
36.
The visiting team is invited to explain, at the start of the visit, all the measures that
they have taken to protect persons deprived of liberty from infection. In particular, it should
explain the use of personal protective equipment, if it is being used.
F.
Screening
37.
The visiting team must comply with the screening process in place to enter the selected
place of deprivation of liberty. Exceptionally, it should consider whether notifying the place
to be visited in advance would comply with its requirements for admission during the
pandemic and/or facilitate the visit, considering the protection measures that should be in
place and the fact that the meeting with the director may be carried out virtually. The
pandemic cannot be used as an excuse to impede a national preventive mechanism visit.
G.
Performance of the visits
38.
Once inside, the tour of the facilities should be carried out with the required protective
measures in place. To the extent possible, the time of permanence inside the monitored
14
6
“Propuesta metodológica trabajo de monitoreo frente a la emergencia sanitaria COVID 19”, 28 April
2021 (in Spanish only).