Utah Sen. Mitt Romney on Monday called the hundreds of people greeting returning Mormon missionaries at the Salt Lake City International Airport on Sunday, “irresponsible.”
The Republican’s criticism came after more than 900 missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints returned home over the weekend. They were met by large crowds, who did not abide by social distancing recommendations, according to the Associated Press. Pictures and videos from the airport showed people hugging the returning missionaries, despite airport guidelines urging them to keep their distance.
Romney, a Mormon, criticized parents who did not follow airport procedure, as well as the Mormon guidelines released on Sunday, which asked parents picking up returning missionaries to “help prevent any potential spread of illness and to keep missionaries and those around them safe.”
“This is irresponsible,” Romney wrote Monday on Facebook. “Parents, please pick up your missionary from the airport alone and help them strictly follow self-quarantine procedures for their first 14 days at home. We need to work together to keep our communities safe.”
Romney said on Sunday that he is self-quarantining after learning that his Republican colleague, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Mormon church announced Friday that it is recalling many of its 65,000 missionaries serving overseas. More are expected to return in the following days.
Sunday’s event also drew criticism from Republican Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, who is also Mormon. Herbert called the event “dangerous” to public health in a Sunday night tweet.
As missionaries return home due to the spread of COVID-19 across the globe, they should not be met by big groups of family or friends. Large welcome parties are dangerous and could greatly increase the spread of coronavirus in our state.
— Gov. Gary Herbert (@GovHerbert) March 23, 2020
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, criticized the event, calling the actions of the people at the airport “unacceptable.”
Really disappointed in the behavior we saw from missionary families at the SLC airport tonight. I get it, I’ve been there (and still have a child serving), but this is unacceptable. In a time of shared sacrifice, we must do better to save lives. #SocialDistancing
— Spencer Cox (@SpencerJCox) March 23, 2020
There are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in any of the missionaries returning from the Philippines, according to the Mormon church. There are more than 450 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the Philippines and 33 deaths.
