The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Wednesday reported four new positive COVID-19 cases within the military community.
Three cases are from the Western Cape Province and one from Gauteng, SANDF Surgeon General Zola Dabula said.
None of these members are uniformed members nor members deployed in support of the police to enforce the nationwide lockdown, Dabula said.
“It is imperative to note that the military community is bigger than the South African National Defence Force,” said Dabula.
The military community is part of the broader South African population thus the SANDF is not immune from the spread of the coronavirus, he said.
This came as the total number of confirmed cases in the country rose to 2,415, with 27 deaths.
On Saturday, the SANDF said three of its uniformed members had been infected by the virus. But it was the first time that the virus has spread to the military community, which is inclusive of dependants of the serving, retired soldiers and others eligible for care by the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS).
The SAMHS continues with COVID-19 awareness campaign by educating DOD (Department of Defence) members on correct use of the surgical masks, maintaining good basic hygiene principles and social distancing, said Dabula.
Frontline workers – emergency medical teams, nurses, doctors, porters and soldiers patrolling the townships – have been issued with personal protective equipment (PPEs), he said.
Other preventative measures include thermal screening, hand sanitizing and wearing of surgical masks by DOD personnel.
The SANDF has also identified quarantine and isolation facilities for the military community in preparation for the envisaged overflow in military hospitals and sickbays, Dabula said.
These facilities are DOD establishments with accommodation capacity in all provinces, he said. Enditem
