CAPE TOWN, May 22 (Xinhua) -- The South African Police Service (SAPS) has been hard hit by coronavirus, losing six members to the virus and having more than 600 others being infected, Police Minister Bheki Cele said on Friday.
Of the six police officrs who succumbed to the virus, two passed away in the Western Cape province on Thursday, Cele said in his update on the levels of compliance and adherence to the COVID-19 lockdown regulations.
The Western Cape, the epicenter of the pandemic, has reported a total number of four police officers who have died of the disease, according to Cele.
So far, 611 SAPS members have tested positive for COVID-19, with 101 recoveries, Cele said.
The Western Cape led all the other provinces with 441 confirmed cases involving police officers, to be followed by the Eastern Cape with 47 positive cases, he said.
The SAPS has been proactive by intensively screening and testing police officers, and has sent hundreds of its members into isolation, and over 3,000 into quarantine, Cele said.
Countrywide, there are about 121 police stations and 40 police units where members have tested positive and the premises contaminated, according to Cele.
South Africa remains the epicenter of COVID-19 in Africa, recording a total of 19,137 confirmed cases and 369 deaths as of Thursday. Enditem
