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The story was last updated at 3:47 p.m.

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE — The 31st annual Bataan Memorial Death March, which was expected to draw more than 10,000 participants this year, was canceled Wednesday afternoon after New Mexico's governor declared a public health emergency over the arrival of the COVID-19 virus.

The installation was planning for historically high turnout this year, after lifting a cap on the number of participants allowed to register.

The trek, founded in 1989 by New Mexico State University ROTC cadets, commemorates the American and Filipino soldiers in World War II who were forced to march 65 miles through jungle terrain under torture by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Registrants were expected to begin collecting their entry packets at the Las Cruces Convention Center Thursday afternoon, with public events related to the memorial march scheduled at several public venues ahead of Sunday's event at WSMR.

MORE:Governor declares health emergency over coronavirus, recommends large events be canceled

The country music event featuring country stars Gary Allan and Lee Brice scheduled for Friday at the New Mexico State University Pan American Center has been called off as well.

The decision to cancel was announced Wednesday afternoon. In a statement, White Sands Missile Range announced that the U.S. Army made the decision "out of an abundance of caution." It was also following guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cancel gatherings of 250 or more participants or more in locations the new coronavirus may spread.

As of 2:30 p.m., no decision had been announced regarding participation fees already paid. A spokesman told the Sun-News, "Command is working that now. Hope to have an answer today.

"The safety of our Soldiers, civilians, families and the march's participants is our top priority," WSMR's statement read. "Currently, there are no known COVID-19 cases reported at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and the latest information from the CDC is the threat to public health and the risk of exposure to the virus remains low here."

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On Wednesday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a statewide public health emergency after New Mexico confirmed three cases of COVID-19 in the state.

The confirmed cases involve a Socorro County husband and wife in their 60's who recently traveled to Egypt, and a Bernalillo County woman in her 70's who recently traveled to New York City. All are now isolated at home.

The state proceeded to restrict out-of-state travel for state employees, ordered non-essential workers to work from home, and canceled or postponed large public events with a recommendation that private or non-state entities follow suit.

MAP:Where is coronavirus? Interactive map shows cases in New Mexico and beyond

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Read the entire statement here:

Out of an abundance of caution, the U.S. Army made the decision to cancel this year's Bataan Memorial Death March scheduled for March 15, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 threat. We apologize for any inconvenience this will cause to our guests, race participants, volunteers, sponsors and other stakeholders, many of whom are traveling from outside the state of New Mexico. The Army is taking precautionary measures to protect the health of the force and the march's participants, and is following the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control to cancel gatherings of 250 participants or more in locations where there is minimal to moderate threat of the virus spreading. The safety of our Soldiers, civilians, families and the march's participants is our top priority. Currently, there are no known COVID-19 cases reported at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and the latest information from the CDC is the threat to public health and the risk of exposure to the virus remains low here. Military and public health officials have not seen evidence of COVID-19 spreading here at this time. Additional information on preventive measures can be found on the Bataan Memorial Death March website: www.bataanmarch.com. Another excellent source for up-to-date information on the COVID-19 virus in cdc.gov/coronavirus. Protecting our people and the health of our force is the Army's top priority. Protecting the force includes mitigating the spread of the virus and ensuring personnel have the most up-to-date information on appropriate measures to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19. The Army's decision to cancel this event will help keep the risk of exposure low.

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Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.