 The COVID-19 pandemic has begun to strike prisons, jails and immigration detention centers, as well as home for the elderly, psychiatric hospitals and other closed centers. Its risk rampaging through the extremely vulnerable populations housed in such institutions. In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded. In some cases, dangerously so. Physical distances and self-isolation in such conditions are practically impossible. So I'm calling on governments to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention. I know governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having to take many difficult decisions by urging them not to forget those behind bars or in places such as closed mental health facilities, nursing homes or orphanage. Otherwise, the consequences could be catastrophic for those detained, for staff, for visitors and of course for wider society. Authorities should examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, such as older and sick detainees. To drastically reduce prison populations so physical distancing becomes possible, they should also consider releasing low risk offenders. Some countries have started to do so. Now more than ever, governments should free every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views. COVID-19 poses a huge challenge to the whole society as governments take firm steps to enforce physical distances. It is vital such measures are upheld but I am deeply concerned that some countries are threatening to impose prison sentences for those who fail to obey. This of course is likely to exacerbate the grave situation in prisons and do little to halt the spread of this killer disease. Imprisonment should be a measure of last resort, particularly during this crisis.