Army resumes sending recruits to basic training after coronavirus triggers 2-week pause

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The Army resumed sending recruits to basic training Monday after a two-week pause to contain to coronavirus pandemic.

Basic Combat Training and One-Station Unit Training at the Army’s four recruit training locations will operate at reduced capacity while adhering to social distancing guidelines, officials said in a statement. Recruits from areas considered low-risk will be allowed to continue to basic training.

“Those who are in high-risk areas will be rescheduled for future dates,” the Army said.

The military branch stopped sending future soldiers to basic training — at Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Sill, Okla.; Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. — beginning April 6 in response to the fast-spreading virus.

Prior to the decision, the Army shut down its recruiting offices and implemented a virtual recruiting program.

Once recruits report to their training posts, they will undergo modified training curriculums and will be monitored with daily health assessments, the Army said.

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«Much of the classroom-based training will be shifted to the first 14 days of the ten-week basic training curriculum to help facilitate the controlled-monitoring phase,» the Army said.

Recruits will also be screened in their hometowns and when they arrive at training facilities.