SALT LAKE CITY — Latter-day Saint temples will not schedule living ordinances for members traveling from another state, province or region during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a release issued on Wednesday evening.
That means members living in states, provinces or regions where all temples are closed may need to postpone temple weddings, known as sealings, effective immediately. The same is true for live endowments, with one exception for missionaries entering the mission field.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has closed 44 of its 168 temples around the world based on government restrictions and guidelines instituted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. (See list below.)
The new guidelines state that temples will accept appointments for living ordinances from outside their temple district only if the state, province or region has multiple temples.
So, for example, members living in Arizona, Florida or Utah may make an appointment at any temple in their state.
Attendance at temple sealings in Utah now are limited to 10 or fewer people — a number that includes the bride, groom and the person performing the sealing — after a state-issued health order also released on Wednesday evening.
Normally, missionaries receive their temple endowment before entering the mission field. An exception is being made during the coronavirus outbreak.
Now, men and women with a mission call who live in a state, province or region where all temples are closed may enter the mission field without receiving their endowment if they are going to an area where a temple can provide living endowments.
The new guidelines issued on Wednesday are designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the statement said.
Members with symptoms of the disease should not enter a temple, according to the new guidelines.
The church also directed temple staff “to contact members scheduled for living ordinances the day before their appointment to ensure no members of the patron’s attending party are showing symptoms of COVID-19.”
The new guidelines apply retroactively to all previously scheduled appointments, the statement said.
The church also announced Wednesday that it had postponed the open house and dedication for the Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple “until large public gatherings are deemed safe.”
Here is the complete list of temples closed to date:
1. Accra Ghana Temple
2. Arequipa Peru Temple
3. Asunción Paraguay Temple
4. Bern Switzerland Temple
5. Caracas Venezuela Temple
6. Cebu City Philippines Temple
7. Copenhagen Denmark Temple
8. Detroit Michigan Temple
9. Frankfurt Germany Temple
10. Freiberg Germany Temple
11. Fresno California Temple
12. Fukuoka Japan Temple
13. Guatemala City Guatemala Temple
14. Guayaquil Ecuador Temple
15. Hartford Connecticut Temple
16. Helsinki Finland Temple
17. Kyiv Ukraine Temple
18. Lima Peru Temple
19. Lisbon Portugal Temple
20. Los Angeles California Temple
21. Louisville Kentucky Temple
22. Madrid Spain Temple
23. Manhattan New York Temple
24. Manila Philippines Temple
25. Newport Beach California Temple
26. Oakland California Temple
27. Panama City Panama Temple
28. Paris France Temple
29. Portland Oregon Temple
30. Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple
31. Redlands California Temple
32. Rome Italy Temple
33. Sacramento California Temple
34. San Diego California Temple
35. San Salvador El Salvador Temple
36. Santo Domingo Dominican Republic Temple
37. Sapporo Japan Temple
38. Seattle Washington Temple
39. Seoul Korea Temple
40. Taipei Taiwan Temple
41. Tegucigalpa Honduras Temple
42. The Hague Netherlands Temple
43. Toronto Ontario Temple
44. Trujillo Peru Temple