EUROPE AREA PRESIDENCY
Porthstrasse 5-7
Frankfurt am Main 60435
Germany
Phone: +49-69-5480-2431
Fax: +49-69-5480-2405
20 March 2020
Dear Parents of Europe Area Missionaries,
We were made aware of an advisory by the U.S. State Department, which strongly counsels American citizens against all foreign travel, and urges U.S. citizens traveling abroad to return home immediately. Unfortunately, some news outlets are incorrectly reporting that the United States will soon be closing its borders to American citizens. Please rest assured this is not the case. While we are seeing increased cancellations of flight routes from Europe to the U.S., we have received assurances that major carriers, like Delta, United, and American Airlines will continue to maintain limited long-haul service to the U.S. from major European hubs. The State Department’s advisory is primarily written for American business travelers and tourists, who may be unprepared for an extended and potentially very costly stay beyond their planned visits. Your missionaries are not considered travelers, but rather are legally registered residents of the respective countries in which they serve.
We have already taken steps to return all missionaries with existing health conditions which made them particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. As our current contingent of missionaries approach their assigned release dates in June and later, we have every confidence they will return to their homes on schedule.
We continue to monitor this situation very closely, as the wellbeing of your magnificent missionaries is our top concern. We are taking every precaution to ensure their health and safety is preserved.