Church takes action in global pandemic Today has been stunning.
The World Health Organization this morning declared the COVID-19 coronavirus threat a global pandemic.
We learned the NCAA Tournament will go on without fans in the stands.
The Conference Center will be nearly empty when leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speak during general conference on April 4-5. The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square will still be there to provide music.
The missionary training centers in Provo, Utah, and Preston, England, will not accept any more missionaries until further notice, as the church creates “an online MTC experience.”
The University of Utah said it will announce tomorrow morning whether it will take all of its classes online.
The situation is moving with breathtaking swiftness and it leaves us all with questions. How serious is this pandemic? Should I be scared? What should I do?
The smartest, most level-headed piece I’ve read on this situation was an essay published in The Wall Street Journal. Written by the doctor who wrote the book on lessons from past pandemics, it describes how the United States reacted to the Spanish flu that killed 50 million people in 1918-19. |
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President Woodrow Wilson did very little, which created a situation where cities and states acted on their own. That actually left us a real road map for what worked and what didn’t, writes Dr. Jonathan Quick of the Duke Global Health Institute.
For example, Philadelphia went ahead with a parade to sell war bonds. Three days after 200,000 people marched together, every bed in the city’s 31 hospitals was full.
Meanwhile, St. Louis did everything in its power to prevent cases and to set up quarantines and bans on public gatherings.
The mortality rate in St. Louis was half that in Philadelphia.
People ask me regularly, is the nation overreacting? The problem is, it’s too soon to know. So in the meantime, following history and the advice of global, national and local health experts is the wisest course. That has marked the church’s response.
For example, Elder Alessandro Dini-Ciacci, the Area Seventy with responsibility for Italy, began his message a few days ago when he called for a national fast for Italy with this statement:
“The first thing we need to do is scrupulously follow the directions of the competent authorities. One of our Articles of Faith states: ‘We believe we must be subject to kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, that we must obey, honor and uphold the laws.’ Our scrupulous respect for what is ordered by civil authorities is a principle of our faith and puts us in a position to invoke the blessings of heaven.”
Church leaders in Salt Lake have repeatedly noted this principle in press releases about closing temples, suspending church meetings and closing missions or limiting missionary work.
So I will do the same: Stay safe and please follow the advice of local and other health experts and governments.
Back in 1957, the First Presidency at the time canceled general conference completely due to a flu epidemic. I’ll give them the last word this week:
“Life is so precious the Lord expects us to do all within our power to conserve it.” |
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My Recent Stories
What will happen at the Provo MTC? Missionary center transitions as new arrivals greeted on Wednesday (March 11, 2020)
Church and coronavirus: Pandemic brings major changes to April general conference, missionary training and stake gatherings (March 11, 2020)
Faculty quarantined at BYU Jerusalem Center after visiting region where tourists had COVID-19 (March 9, 2020)
Utah resident with COVID-19 attended BYU basketball game last month (March 9, 2020)
‘Anyone who loves Italy’ invited to fast Wednesday by Latter-day Saint leader as COVID-19 spreads (March 9, 2020)
Church announces meeting limitations in Germany, United Kingdom as COVID-19 precautions continue (March 8, 2020)
LGBT BYU students and their supporters rally at church office building in Salt Lake City (March 6, 2020)
Church closes Seattle temple, cancels some meetings in the area over coronavirus concerns (March 6, 2020)
Church removes non-native missionaries from South Korea, suspends travel to 6 countries (March 6, 2020)
Church’s Rome temple to close, Seattle-area stake cancels meetings due to coronavirus (March 5, 2020)
Utahn serving as Latter-day Saint missionary in California arrested (March 5, 2020) |
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What I’m Reading ... What should you buy at the store to prepare for the pandemic? Not toilet paper. Please read this great guide on seven ways you might be panicking wrong by the great Lois Collins at the Deseret News.
Oil prices, and therefore gas prices, always perplex me. The pandemic is affecting those, too. There’s an oil war on now and the price of a barrel is down 50% from the start of the year. This will start to show up at the pump within a few weeks. But lower prices aren’t all good news. Here’s a great explainer piece about what’s going on.
We can’t be all pandemic all the time. If you loved the TV show M*A*S*H, you probably will like this look back at the final episode on its 35th anniversary.
ESPN posted an easy-to-read look at all the women now coaching in the NBA.
The Deseret News recently published a video on the coronavirus. The artistic 8-bit video helps clear up confusion and gives advice on how to prepare. I’ve included it here below (just click on the play button over the image): |
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 | This is a picture from today of Sister Charity Brower — standing in the middle of her family — at the Provo MTC as they were dropping her off to begin her mission. I was so taken by the tale of their unusual trip to the MTC that I made it the top part of my story on today's big announcement about how today's batch of new missionaries is the last the MTC will take for the foreseeable future. Her mom, Olivia Moore Brower, who is on the far right, shared the photo with me. Mom was teary when we talked on the phone because she felt like she'd just lost some of the sunshine at her house, but she told me she is grateful to share that sunshine with Cincinnati, Ohio, for the next 18 months. |
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