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SALT LAKE CITY — In April, the Conference Center was empty as speakers during the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints delivered their remarks to a worldwide audience in a small auditorium on Temple Square.
They were speaking to millions. They just couldn’t see many of them.
October will be the same way.
The First Presidency announced in a letter Thursday that October’s general conference will be virtual-only once again.
The decision was made out of concern for the health and safety of attendees — many of whom come from all over the globe — as the world community continues to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus.
"While some areas of the world continue to experience the effects of a serious pandemic, other areas do not," the letter states. "As a worldwide organization, we have an obligation to be good citizens and to act with caution as it relates to such a unique setting as general conference, which traditionally brings thousands of visitors to Salt Lake City from around the globe."
Regularly, upwards of 100,000 people attend the conference during its five sessions, but the vast majority of Latter-day Saints already experience the conference through television, web streams, or radio. And in April, the virtual-only proceedings didn’t stop it from being a historic conference.
During April’s conference, President Russell M. Nelson read a new proclamation on the restoration of Christ’s church, announced eight new temples, revealed a new church logo and led a worldwide Hosana Shout.
October’s conference, scheduled for Oct. 3-4, will follow the regular schedule with three sessions on Saturday and two sessions on Sunday. Additional details will be released as they are finalized, the letter said.
