The South African National Defence Force will be deployed to help the South African Police Services enforce a 21-day country-wide lockdown.
This will be from midnight on Thursday 26 March to 16 April.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a range of drastic measures on Monday night as the number of covid-19 infections rose to more than 400 in the country and is projected to increase exponentially.
The President said immediate, swift action will be needed to “flatten the curve” of infections.
“All must adhere to the regulations, without exception,” he added.
“This nationwide lockdown will be accompanied by a public health management programme which will significantly increase screening, testing, contact tracing, and medical management.”
"Community health teams will focus on expanding screening and testing where people live, focusing first on high density and high-risk areas. To ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed, a system will be put in place for ‘centralised patient management’ for severe cases and ‘decentralised primary care’ for mild cases.
"Emergency water supplies – using water storage tanks, water tankers, boreholes, and communal standpipes – are being provided to informal settlements and rural areas."
“Community health teams will focus on expanding screening and testing where people live, focusing first on high density and high-risk areas.”
President Ramaphosa said that the categories of people who will be exempted from the lockdown regulations include health workers in both the public and private sectors, emergency personnel and those in the security services.
He said this will also include telecommunication service, laboratory services and the provision of medical and hygiene products.
“A full list of essential personnel will be published, he said.
The President also announced that “all shops and businesses will be closed, except for pharmacies, laboratories, banks, essential financial and payment services, including the JSE, supermarkets, petrol stations, and health care providers.”
“Companies that are essential to the production and transportation of food, basic goods, and medical supplies will remain open,” Ramaphosa said.
He said while these measures will have a considerable impact on people’s livelihoods, the life of “our society” and the economy, the human cost of delaying this action would be far greater.
