SALT LAKE CITY-Sunday evening, as multitudes of missionaries recalled from the Philippines descended upon Salt Lake City International Airport, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave another update on how missionary work will progress.
Sunday evening’s statement reiterated that of the previous week, saying missionaries will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of where they traveled from.
This ruling confirms those of the World Health Organization and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
This is even required if the missionaries have already been self-isolating or come from areas where COVID-19 may not be as prevalent.
The statement (which was not kept Sunday evening as droves of people were at the airport to greet missionaries), states parents or guardians of missionaries should go to the airport alone to meet a missionary.
They should then practice “safe social distancing” thereat.
In this manner, missionaries are able to properly commence their period of self-isolation.
Upon their return home, missionaries must practice the self-isolation recommendations of the CDC.
This includes limiting their contact with others and not leaving their homes for any reason.
They are then encouraged to stay in a well-ventilated room, preferably alone.
If this is not possible, the missionary should stay six feet away from others in the room.
They are to use good hygiene and regularly wash their hands. Should a missionary develop any symptoms of a respiratory illness, they are to contact a local health provider.
The First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles asks “families, friends and community members” to help support and encourage missionaries to follow these guidelines to help prevent any potential spread of illness. This is to keep missionaries and those around them safe.
Furthermore, at all 10 of the Church’s missionary training centers around the world: Provo, Utah; Chorley, England; Bogota, Colombia; Accra, Ghana; Manila, Philippines; Auckland, New Zealand; Mexico City, Mexico; Lima, Peru; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Johannesburg, South Africa, all new missionaries would be sent to their assigned missions as soon as possible rather than be trained at an MTC.
