As the COVID-19 pandemic rages globally and Jehovah’s Witnesses intensify their activity during the Memorial season, an increasing number of people are turning to the jw.org website as a source of spiritual comfort, Scriptural information, and news. In March, the volume of visitors to the website jumped more than 50 percent over the prior month and Bible study requests reached a new peak.

Internet traffic on jw.org began steadily increasing at the onset of the pandemic. In February, there were about two million visitors per day, which is typical for the website. In March, this figure increased to more than three million visitors per day, while exceeding four and a half million visitors on days when special news updates related to the coronavirus were released. On April 7, the day of the 2020 Memorial, there were more than seven million visitors, with the majority of these watching the special morning worship program and the Memorial talk.

“This time of year many people come to jw.org to find out where and when to attend the Memorial,” explains Brother Clive Martin, who oversees the MEPS Programming Department at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Warwick, New York. “This year, since many interested ones would not be able to meet together with local congregations, we posted the 2020 special talk and the Memorial talk in over 500 languages. These programs were watched or downloaded millions of times. The high number of website visitors during this global crisis shows the important role of jw.org in providing spiritual instruction and comfort not only for Jehovah’s Witnesses but for many others in the community.”

Not surprisingly, many visitors to the website are searching for information on health and disease prevention, including topics related to stress and anxiety. The website has also registered an increasing number of searches for Scriptural information on topics related to the sign of the last days and the four horsemen of Revelation chapter 6.

A notable aspect of the increased website activity is the number of online Bible study requests, which normally hovers at about 250 per day. During the month of March, requests increased by 40 percent to some 350 per day or nearly 11,000 for the month. In the 48 hours that spanned the day of the Memorial and the day after, more than 1,000 online Bible study requests were received.

Jesus said that people who are conscious of their spiritual need would be happy. (Matthew 5:3) We are heartened that so many are turning to Jehovah and his organization to find comfort and spiritual support in these perilous times.—2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.