57 inmates, staff contract COVID-19 at Regina jail

A recent surge of infection at Regina's jail has pushed active cases of COVID-19 there up to 57, while raising questions about whether a temporary lockdown was lifted too soon.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Corrections and Policing reported 54 active cases among inmates of the Regina Provincial Correctional Centre (RPCC), as well as three among staff.

Thirty-six of those cases are in Unit 1, a remand unit that was taken off a temporary lockdown from Dec. 27 to 28. It is now the epicentre of a growing outbreak. The ministry said more cases are expected as testing ramps up.

The union representing correctional officers also fears a wave of cases is ahead. Glenn Billingsley, labour relations manager for Saskatchewan Government and General Employees' Union, is worried it could reach a similar scale to the outbreak that struck Saskatoon's jail, where about 170 inmates have contracted COVID-19 so far, according to information provided to the union.

Billingsley said expanded testing should have come sooner. The ministry said it tests and screens all new admissions for COVID-19 upon arrival, and then again after 10 days, but the union has also asked for voluntary mass testing for all staff at correctional facilities.

“We called for mass testing well before the outbreak occurred and we believe that early detection causes prevention,” he said.

Correctional officers have raised concerns that a brief lockdown on the unit may have been lifted too early, before test results were back for an inmate who reported symptoms. The ministry explained the timeline of its measures in a statement to the Leader-post.

Spokesman Noel Busse said in an email that one inmate on Unit 1 was found to have symptoms consistent with COVID-19 on Dec. 26. He and his cellmate were moved to isolation and tested. Unit 1 was put under temporary isolation.

Nursing staff asked other Unit 1 inmates whether they were having symptoms, according to Busse. None reported that they were, he said, so the unit came off of lockdown on Dec. 27. He did not immediately say whether all inmates on Unit 1 were questioned about their condition, though he noted that nursing staff “are continually monitoring offenders for symptoms during their regular rounds.”

On Dec. 28, nursing staff noticed inmates on the unit did have symptoms, prompting another lockdown and arrangements to test all inmates on Unit 1.

Billingsley called that timeline concerning. He noted that the outbreak in Saskatoon swelled from just a few inmates who said they had symptoms. He said lessons should have been learned to prevent a repeat in Regina.

In Billingsley's view, the jail should have implemented mass testing for inmates already admitted, and mass voluntary testing for staff, right away. It should now expand mandatory testing to all inmates in the jail, not just in Unit 1, he said.

NDP Justice Critic Nicole Sarauer called news of the outbreak “extremely upsetting.” She said it looks like the government has learned little from what happened at the Saskatoon jail.

“There should be clear policies and procedures in place for what happens if an inmate or staff member tests positive, and those should be followed very closely,” she said.