Fort Jackson cancels Family Day activities, changes graduation policy due to coronavirus

FORT JACKSON, S.C. (WIS) - Leaders at Fort Jackson are taking steps to protect the military base from the spread of coronavirus.

Family day activities are canceled going forward, Brig. Gen. Milford H. Beagle, Jr. said.

Graduating soldiers will also now have supervised visits to purchase things they need ahead of travel to AIT instead of being given a pass to spend time with visiting family members.

Graduation Day ceremonies will only be held at Hilton Field, and soldiers will travel by government transportation back to their battalion area, Beagle said.

Those who graduate this week and have already been granted passes to spend time with family will be reviewed to determine if that is OK.

Starting next week, the new graduation policy will apply to all.

Beagle issued the following statement:

“We are America’s Army and our bond with the public is trust. While these changes disrupt the plans many people have made, I believe that the family and friends of our graduating Soldiers trust that we do not make these decisions lightly and only implement the precautions outlined as prudent decisions designed to protect our Army Team and further prevent opportunities to introduce or spread COVID-19 exposure.”

Officials further clarified there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus at the base.