We have been following the situation related to the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines very carefully. We have been monitoring the governmental actions being taken to fight the spread of the virus. We want to assure you that the First Presidency and the Twelve have the welfare of missionaries uppermost in their thoughts and prayers. We have received ongoing guidance from the Missionary Department and the Philippines Area Presidency.
Sister Pajaro and I want you to know that your missionary is safe and protected. We love your missionary and are grateful to have the opportunity to preside over this mission.
Last evening, the President of the Philippines issued a presidential proclamation raising the level of alert throughout the Philippines and implementing a heightened level of community quarantine. This was done to limit social interaction and slow the spread of COVID-19. This “enhanced quarantine” will have the effect of prohibiting public transportation, limiting movement from place to place, and requiring people to remain in their homes, except to shop for food, medicine and necessary essentials. All community, social, work-related, and religious gatherings have been suspended. It has quickly become much more difficult for our missionaries to proselyte or even work with their investigators, as most missionaries are now restricted to their apartments.
The presidential proclamation encourages foreigners living in the Philippines to return to their home countries. It provides a 72 hour window for foreigners to travel freely to the international airports in the country and board a departing flight for their home country. At the end of that period, we are told that all outbound flights will be suspended until the situation stabilizes.
The Church has made a decision to return all foreign missionaries to their homes. We expect shortly to receive a flight itinerary for your missionary’s travel. As we receive more information we will provide it to you. As you might imagine, we are working against a closing window of time to move a great number of missionaries. It is possible that some will not be able to secure flights within the window of opportunity. If your missionary is not able to fly home, they will be returned to the mission field. In that case, please be assured that your missionary will be safe but may be limited to the apartment for some time, where there will be adequate food and water.
We want to assure you that all missionaries are safe. There has not been a single incident of a full-time missionary catching the COVID-19 virus. The Church is not reacting to fears about the virus as much as it is responding to the increasing limitations on the missionaries’ ability to proselyte and to the limited time the Philippines government has allowed for foreign citizens to leave the Philippines.
When your missionary returns home, he or she will almost certainly be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Thereafter, we are told that the Missionary Department will communicate with you relative to the possibility of returning to complete your missionary’s mission in the Philippines or being reassigned, depending in large part on the time remaining in the missionary call.
Because of the speed of recent events, your missionary may not have been able to make contact with you. But we will encourage them to contact you as soon as they are able to.
We will keep you informed as we learn more details about flight arrangements and travel home.
With love and appreciation,
President and Sister Pajaro
