Utah leaders 'disappointed' in missionary families at airport who did not social distance

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) –With the return of 1,600 Latter-day Saints missionaries, complications with social distancing were inevitable. But as KUTV shared video of their return at the Salt Lake City airport on Sunday, Utah state leaders shared their concerns about what they saw.

Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox was "disappointed" with how the families congregated in the parking lot. Gov. Herbert said gatherings like these are dangerous at this time. The missionaries were sent home due to thecoronavirus outbreak.

2News Reporter Kelly Vaughen shared her perspective of the event and said: "social distancing is out the window." Airport instructions for the returned missionaries and their families were given but were not met. The instructions from Church leaders to stake leaders read as followed:

Due to space constraints, only one vehicle is permitted for picking up each missionary. For the safety of your missionary, your family, and other travelers at the airport, please remain in you car until your missionary comes to your vehicle n the short-term parking garage.

Gov. Herbert reiterated the protocol for picking up missionaries during the outbreak and that big groups should not be present at the airport during the pickup. On Thursday, Gov. Herbert initially repealed the rules set in place by local health departments that would criminalize gatherings of people of more than ten. In that statement, Herbert said, "We call upon all people to act rationally and with the good faith and commonsense that has defined our state and her people since its beginning."

Lt. Gov. Cox empathized with the families saying he understood how excited they could be to their children as they return to Salt Lake City but said the situation was unacceptable. He added that he currently has a child serving an LDS mission.

“We are trying to make sure that every family stays six feet apart from other families as they’re welcoming their missionaries,” said Kim Daines, the Supervisor of Missionary Compliments.

Sen. Mitt Romney posted on Facebook, saying:

"To echo the words of Governor Gary Herbert: As missionaries return home due to the spread of the coronavirus, they SHOULD NOT be met by welcome groups. This is irresponsible. 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."