19 Selected topics from 2020 Increased Isolation and Stricter Conditions in Prison During the COVID-19 Pandemic In the spring of 2020, the Ombudsman's Preventive Mechanism (NPM) has investigated the consequences of the pandemic on inmates in several ­prisons. The investigation concluded that many inmates experienced their imprisonment as more difficult during the initial phase of the ­pandemic, due to restrictions imposed for infection control. Intrusive infection control measures in prisons Conditions in prisons make it difficult for inmates to protect themselves against infection, and inmates also have a higher rate of ill-health than the general population. Therefore, many inmates are at risk of developing serious illness from the coronavirus. In addition to this, prison inmates are particularly at risk of human rights violations as a result of measures imposed to control the pandemic. The Ombudsman's previous visits to prisons have documented extensive use of solitary confinement, even during normal operations. The Ombudsman was concerned about how the pandemic would affect imprisonment conditions as intrusive meas­ ures were introduced quickly to prevent outbreaks in prisons. Front page of the report “Investigation under the OPCAT mandate: Protecting prison inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic”.