COVID-19 cases are decreasing overall at the Regina Correctional Centre, however the number of COVID-positive guards is increasing.
As of Wednesday, the Ministry of Justice said 27 guards and 109 inmates had active cases of COVID-19. On April 15, SGEU – the union representing correctional officers – told CTV News 20 guards and 131 inmates were COVID-positive.
According to SGEU, four inmates are in hospital.
SGEU has been pushing the government to vaccinate both guards and inmates against the virus.
On Tuesday, the province announced correctional guards would be included in vaccine prioritization once the eligible age dropped down to 40. The province said it anticipates this will happen next week.
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 700 inmates at provincial correctional facilities have contracted COVID-19, along with nearly 200 staff members. The Regina Correctional Centre has seen the greatest number of cases, followed by the Saskatoon and Prince Albert Correctional Centres.
