COVID-19 cases at the Regina jail are getting high again prompting yet another call from the SGEU public service bargaining unit for the government to include all essential frontline workers and first responders in a rollout plan that they say is driven by political ideology instead of expert medical advice.

Spokesperson Barry Nowoselsky says corrections workers need to be prioritized especially when he hears what is happening at the Regina jail.

As of Tuesday, the union says there are 71 inmates and 13 staff with active cases. Last week, the Ministry of Corrections said there were 21 active cases amongst inmates and staff.

Nowoselsky says these bad decisions by government aren’t only impacting correctional officers and young offender facilities staff, but also family members and others they interact with. He wonders how many deaths and hospitalizations will it take before the government does the right thing.

He says it is simply mind-boggling as to why the government wouldn’t include those working at jails as a priority as others have been.

Health Minister Paul Merriman was asked about this on Tuesday afternoon.  He said if people working in corrections are eligible to be vaccinated they should do so as soon as possible.

“Right now if there’s a correction worker out there in the city of Regina that’s 49, I’d encourage them to go to the drive-thru and get vaccinated immediately.” Merriman said. “If somebody is over the age of 52 and wants to book into one of the clinics, I would encourage them to do that as well. ”

**This story has been corrected to add Tuesday’s total of active cases.  The original story stated Monday’s numbers of 57 inmates and 13 staff**