REGINA --  

Families of inmates who have COVID-19 at the Regina Correctional Centre protested outside the facility on Tuesday morning.

The group of mostly mothers is calling for their children to receive improved medical care and for protocols to reduce the spread of the virus inside the facility to be increased.

"It's so hard to see all our son's going through this and not being able to get help," protestor Julie Paul said.

The women said after speaking to their loved ones, they alleged that inmates are now receiving two meals a day, are in their cell for 23 hours a day with little reading material or television and the inmates are receiving little to no medical care.

An inmate within the Regina Correctional Centre spoke to CTV News about the situation within the facility.

"We're only getting two meals a day," inmate Sheldon Heart said. "There are mice running around and people all last week were locked up for 24 hours a day for four days.

Many people at the protest called for the Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, Christine Tell, to do more for inmates in the province.

"Minister Christine Tell, from one woman to the other, from one mother to the other, I call upon you to do better," Chief Margaret Bear of Ochapowace Nation said. 

On Monday, the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety said 62 inmates and 12 staff members have COVID-19 at the Regina Correctional Centre.

"Nursing staff in provincial correctional centres are monitoring offenders who have tested positive for COVID-19," the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety said in a statement to CTV News. "The ministry also contracts with health professionals and the Saskatchewan Health Authority to meet the health and mental health needs of inmates."

No Government officials were at Tuesday's protest.

NDP Justice Critic, Nicole Sarauer, was at the protest and said family members deserve to hear from the Government of Saskatchewan about the situation with inmates with COVID-19 inside correctional centres.

"Everyone deserves access to health care," Sarauer said. "Everyone deserves access to, to meals to shelter, to be able to access their loved ones that's a given. That's not what our prisons are for. The failure here is at the top."