A COUPLE and their two-year-old daughter are under military lockdown in South Africa amid the coronavirus crisis.

Stephen Burke flew to Cape Town with his wife and daughter on March 16 and while they were in the air, the president announced a travel ban in the country.

The family, from Orford were due home on March 31 but the military lockdown - which started at midnight on Thursday - means they have to remain in Cape Town until at least April 19.

Stephen said: "We are staying in an Airbnb so we will run out of food soon and according to the quarantine we will not be allowed to leave.

"We tried to get a flight home at the weekend before the lockdown was announced but they were all sold out.

"The army have been deployed and there may be riots due to the poverty and people losing their jobs here.

"I’ve contacted the embassy, my MP and airlines but none can provide any guidance and it’s impossible to find answers.

"The embassy have said they won’t deal with any individual enquiries as they said they can’t cope with the demand which is fair enough I guess."

The family will now remain in the Airbnb but have to pay for the extra 21 days they will live there.

Stephen said: "The travel insurance company actually don’t know which part of the policy this covers so I don’t know if I’ll even get the money back.

"I'm sure there will be a scramble for flights too whenever the lockdown is lifted."

The strict measures mean only certain shops will be open at designated times.

Roadblocks will be implemented everywhere and the army will patrol the streets to make sure no one is out of their accommodation.

The Burkes have been told that only one member of the family is only allowed to travel once every three days to the shops and have been advised to keep receipts of what they buy as proof.