Feb. 21 Church releases information about missionary work, temple work and worship services for members and missionaries in several Asian countries; Taiwan Taipei Temple and Seoul Korea Temple first to close. Jan. 8 Elder Ulisses Soares and his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, tested positive for COVID-19 during holiday break, according to a Church statement. Why? Therefore, let us love one another by encouraging vaccination, especially those in our churches. The Latter-day Saint faith was one of the first to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. March 25 First Presidency announces all temples to close; 111 of 168 temples were closed at time of the announcement. Church leaders recently issued their strongest statement yet urging people to limit the spread by getting COVID-19 vaccines and wearing masks. Since the spread of these COVID-19 variants could delay the time to reach herd immunity, the need for our churches to have plans on how and when to gather is greater than ever. How long this takes is affected by the availability, effectiveness, and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines as well as the contagiousness of new COVID-19 variants. April 24 Global death toll surpasses 200,000. FLEMING: We had more who have tested positive for COVID in about a 10- to 14-day timeframe than we've had all of the previous 18 months of COVID. Warehouse workers load supplies as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints send aid to China in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Many Evangelicals say they won't be vaccinated against Covid-19 Many of our elderly and more vulnerable church members, who will be vaccinated earlier, may welcome an earlier opportunity to gather before everyone can safely do so. April 23 Missionary Department encourages missionaries to be vaccinated and those choosing not to will serve in home countries; Tabernacle Choir cancels Pioneer Day concert. Church In an attempt to control the spread of COVID-19, missionaries are being trained by remote video conference rather than travel to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 10 missionary training centers. The photo is one he included as a submission to the Church History Departments project of documenting missionary experiences during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which drew 7,000 online entries from missionaries and mission leaders worldwide. I was scrolling through the photos on my phone and found this. The following timeline shows how the Church has responded and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. LOCKE: People are like, how can you be so sure of yourself? But some churches began resuming masking practices even before the leaders statement. Nov. 19 The CDC endorses the use of COVID-19 vaccine boosters for all adults. But with COVIDRisk.Link, a tool I recently developed with others, congregants can monitor their own risk of exposure to the virus on a regular basis and reduce their risk, if necessary, before meeting with others.