SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – As COVID-19 restrictions begin to loosen up, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is following the lead of governments and healthcare professionals around the globe as it also considers a return to normal operating procedures.
According to the Church’s website, officials say the church is ready to move forward in all areas of the world but with caution to ensure the preventative spread of the pandemic.
Now with that in mind, you may be wondering, which Church functions have begun phases of reopening? Well, according to officials, Church Distribution Retail Stores and Deseret Book, and Deseret Industries Stores are all ready for reopening.
“As of September 22, 2020, all Deseret Industries stores have reopened. Each location strictly follows local government safety guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Customers should visit deseretindustries.org/reopen to schedule a donation and to see the hours of operation for each store,” church leads share.
Not only are businesses reopening, but updates have also been made to missionary work.
“The process of reassigning missionaries to missions in their home countries is underway, and they have started receiving their new assignments. The Church has issued travel guidelines for missionaries,” they add.
Temple worship is also in the midst of fully reopening.
“A phased reopening of temples began in May 2020. See a week-by-week list here. Also see this list, which shows the status of each temple as of March 8, 2021,” officials include.
According to the church, as most things are on the path for reopening and returning to normalcy, there are still some church operations that are still temporarily paused, postponed, or closed to the public.
The church provides a list down below:
- Church Educational System (large gatherings paused)
- Church Historic Sites
- Pageants (2020 pageants canceled)
- Perpetual Education Fund loan payments and interest charges are being deferred until April 1, 2021.
- RootsTech London (2020 conference canceled)
- Temple Square
- The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (2020 Heritage Tour has been rescheduled; Weekly broadcasts are closed to the public; 2020 Christmas concert and auditions are canceled)
- Youth Camps, Conferences, and Treks (see here and here)
For more information on what the church is doing, visit their website at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/
