The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
With the decrease in Utah’s COVID-19 infection rates, the Utah Area Presidency has asked local leaders to develop a plan to return to in-person Church meetings.
“As infection rates in Utah continue to decrease and vaccinations significantly increase, we are getting closer to a time when we can return to our normal Church meetings and activities,” wrote Elder Craig C. Christensen, Elder Evan A Schmutz and Elder Walter F. González. In counsel with senior Church leaders, “we now ask stake presidents, in consultation with bishops and others, to develop plans and take responsibility for how members in their stakes return to in-person Church meetings and activities for all organizations.”
The Utah Area Presidency sent the letter, titled “Returning to Church Meetings and Activities in the Utah Area,” to stake presidents, bishops and others “who throughout the COVID–19 pandemic have developed plans and implemented guidelines to allow our members to worship at home and at Church in safe and compliant ways.”
The April 8 letter highlighted three cautions in the letter to local leaders, who will develop the plan to return to in-person meetings and activities:
- Comply with all directives from state and local governmental agencies and continue to follow appropriate safety guidelines and protocols, including masks and distancing, as determined by stake presidencies.
- Continue to broadcast Sunday worship services as directed by the First Presidency (Sept. 11, 2020, letter: Safely Engaging in Church Meetings and Activities), and provide ways for certain members to administer the sacrament in their homes.
- Stake presidencies may continue with virtual second-hour classes (especially when multiple wards meet in the same building and meeting times overlap), congregate in larger spaces or implement other safe options.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
