Air Force Academy bringing back all cadets this fall

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Not many college students are deemed "mission essential" to the U.S. military, but that's life for the Air Force Academy cadets who will be returning to campus by the end of the month.

The Academy announced Thursday that its entire student body will be back on campus with a plan for regular COVID-19 testing. Cadets will be tested for coronavirus on their first day on campus, along with tests 7 days later, 10 days later, and 14 days later.

Cadets will also be randomly tested to identify potential asymptomatic cases. Quarantine and isolation spaces are being made for cadets who test positive for COVID-19 or come in close contact with people who test positive.

The announcement comes after the Academy already experienced an outbreak among younger cadets, but the Academy says its plan allowed USAFA to be "free of community spread of COVID-19."

Not all cadets will be living on campus, however, as the Academy will house about 400 of them off base in hotels for the fall semester to better enforce social distancing.

Classes at the AFA will combine in-person and online learning, and any in-person classes will be adapted to allow for social distancing space.