LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- ROTC Cadet Summer Camp at Fort Knox is canceled this year due to concerns surrounding COVID-19.
"We assessed the traditional Cadet Summer Training model at Fort Knox and decided that it would be irresponsible to possibly expose such a large group to the risks of COVID-19," Maj. Gen. John Evans, Commanding General for the U.S. Army Cadet Command, said in a Facebook video.
Radcliff, Kentucky, officials said a season without thousands of cadets and soldiers visiting the post is yet another economic blow to the surrounding community.
"Our local small business owners in our community depend on that summer traffic," said Mayor JJ Duvall. "They depend on the installation, the soldiers and the families that come here throughout the summer and into the fall."
Duvall said the impact will also reach local restaurants and the hotel industry, especially when the city typically welcomes the families of graduating cadets.
Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox is the Army's biggest annual training event.
In addition, Evans said all training for advanced and basic camps moves from centralized training at Fort Knox to a "decentralized execution of training on campuses and other installations during the fall and spring semesters."
The Army said the cancellation is for the safety of its cadets, soldiers and surrounding communities.
It's understandable, yet scary for those businesses already hanging on by a thread during the pandemic, officials said.
"It'll probably be a couple of years before we really get back on our feet," Duvall said.
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