Four Covid-19 cases within the military community have been confirmed but none of them involve uniformed members or soldiers deployed to help during the nationwide lockdown, according to the surgeon general of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF).

In a statement confirming the four cases, the SANDF said three of the cases were detected in the Western Cape and the fourth was in Gauteng.

The statement did not state which members of the SANDF community were infected but specified: "The military community is inclusive of dependents of the serving, retired soldiers and others eligible for care by the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS)."

News24 attempted to contact the SANDF for clarity and the response will be added once received.

The statement further indicated that the infected people would be treated and managed as per the prescribed Covid-19 protocol.

In addition, the SANDF identified quarantine and isolation facilities for the military community in preparation for the envisaged overflow at military hospitals and sick bays.

"These facilities are Department of Defence establishments with accommodation capacity in all provinces."

"Frontline workers (emergency medical teams, nurses, doctors, porters including soldiers patrolling the townships) have been issued with personal protective equipment (PPEs)."

"Other preventative measures include thermal screening, hand sanitising and wearing of surgical masks by Department of Defence personnel."

The surgeon general, Lieutenant General Zola Dabula, emphasised that the "military community is part of the broader South African population, thus the SANDF is not immune from the spread of the coronavirus".

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