Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) urged against Mormon families gathering at the Salt Lake City airport to welcome home missionaries in a Facebook post on Monday, calling such gatherings “irresponsible.”
In a Facebook post, the Utah senator wrote that parents should pick up young adults returning from missionary work overseas “alone,” and avoid large gatherings as per guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and state officials.
“This is irresponsible,” he posted. “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 was joined in his criticism of the gathering by other Utah leaders including Gov. Gary Herbert (R), who tweeted that the event was “dangerous.”
“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,” he wrote.
“Parents, please go to the airport alone to pick up your returning missionaries, and help them strictly follow all self-isolation procedures for their first 14 days at home,” Herbert added.
More than 80 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed across Utah, while the disease has now infected more than 370,000 worldwide.