Army closing recruiting stations, moves effort online.

Washington (AP) — The Army on Friday became the first military service to announce it is shutting down all of its recruiting stations around the country in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Gen. James McConville, chief of staff of the Army, told Pentagon reporters the service will move to “virtual” recruiting, wooing recruits more aggressively through a variety of social media sites and other online activities. He said the shutdown is “happening right now as we speak,” and may continue through the weekend.

The Marine Corps said it is keeping its recruiting stations open, and so far there were no reports of the Air Force or Navy shutting theirs down.

The move comes as the Army works to recover from recruiting shortfalls and struggles in recent years, prompting leaders to develop more programs to reach young people online.

McConville said new recruits are still being shipped to basic training but the training has been reduced to 50%of normal capacity for the time being. Incoming recruits are undergoing extensive health screening and other precautions to safeguard against infections.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said it’s not yet clear how long the shutdown will last, saying the service will take things day by day.

The Marine Corps, meanwhile, said recruiters are taking steps to protect themselves and any recruits that come in.

“Marine recruiters are taking all preventative measures to protect themselves as they interact with the public, and are currently screening applicants scheduled to ship to recruit training to identify individuals who may have heightened risk factors for exposure to the novel coronavirus,” said Gunnery Sgt. Justin Kronenberg, spokesman for the Marine Corps Recruiting Command.