Elder Ethan Bird wheels his luggage the airport as hundreds of missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints return from the Philippines to Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday, March 22, 2020. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday released guidelines on self-isolation for missionaries returning to their homes due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak — the same day that 1,600 missionaries returned to Utah from the Philippines.
“As many missionaries return home in the coming weeks due to the COVID-19 outbreak, they will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, regardless of where they traveled from,” the statement reads. “This is an important precaution in accordance with guidelines from the World Health Organization and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), even though many of these missionaries have already been self-isolating or come from areas where the virus is not as prevalent.”
The church provided the following guidelines.
- “Parents or guardians should go to the airport alone to meet a returning missionary and practice safe social distancing while there.”
- Once home, “missionaries should strictly follow the self-isolation recommendations of the CDC which include limiting contact with others and avoiding leaving their homes for any reason.”
- Missionaries should “stay in a well-ventilated room, preferably alone. If that isn’t possible, the missionary should stay 6 feet away from others in the room.”
- Missionaries should regularly wash their hands and practice good hygiene.
- Missionaries who develop any symptoms of a respiratory illness should contact their local health provider.
“We ask families, friends, and community members to help support and encourage missionaries to follow these guidelines to help prevent any potential spread of illness and to keep missionaries and those around them safe,” the release states.
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