FILE-- (Photo courtesy Church Newsroom)
SALT LAKE CITY — Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Friday afternoon that missionary training centers (MTCs) around the world would not receive new missionaries, with training for new missionaries taking place through technology instead.
The Church also announced Friday that large numbers of missionaries “will likely need” to go to their home countries for service in the near future.
A letter from the church’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles cited “rapidly developing travel advisories and restrictions” related to coronavirus in the announcement.
According to the letter, missionaries returning to their home countries would first self-isolate for 14 days before being reassigned there.
The statement continued:
We love and pray for our missionaries and their families. We are grateful for the continued prayers and support of parents, loved ones and Church members as we make every effort to help them remain safe and well in these challenging times.
Earlier this week, the First Presidency of the church announced the April 2020 general conference would be broadcast from a small auditorium at Temple Square, with only those invited to speak or pray attending in person, as a result of the spread of COVID-19 or coronavirus.