美國紐約州的居民可以遠程結婚了

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has signed an order allowing marriages to take place online, as many weddings are cancelled under lock-in restrictions.

紐約州州長安德魯·科莫簽署了一項允許網上結婚的法令。眼下許多婚禮都因為封鎖限制而取消了。

From now on, people in the US state will be able to apply for marriage licences remotely and clerks allowed to conduct ceremonies virtually.

從現(xiàn)在起，美國紐約州的居民將能遠程申請結婚證，婚姻登記處的辦事員可以在線主持登記儀式。

Mr Cuomo joked that the decision meant there was now "no excuse" for couples not to tie the knot.

科莫開玩笑說，這一決定意味著現(xiàn)在新人們“沒有理由”不結婚了。

"You can do it by Zoom. Yes or no?" he said in his briefing on Saturday.

4月18日他在新聞發(fā)布會上說：“可以通過視頻會議軟件Zoom結婚了。你們愿不愿意?”

The decision comes after New York state extended lockdown measures until May 15. More than 13,000 people have died of coronavirus in New York city alone.

發(fā)布這一決定前，紐約州將封鎖期延長到了5月15日。僅在紐約市就有超1.3萬人死于新冠肺炎。

Social media reaction to the decision was mixed.

社交媒體對這一決定褒貶不一。

Some questioned why couples would choose to hold weddings when their families and friends are unable to join them, or criticised the governor for not prioritising other decisions.

有些人質疑為什么新人們會選擇在親友無法參加的時候舉行婚禮，也有人批評州長不優(yōu)先做出其他決定。

But others pointed out that during a pandemic, marriage could offer practical benefits, such as allowing couples to share health insurance coverage.

但其他一些人指出，在全球性流行病期間，婚姻可以帶來實際效益，比如允許夫婦共享健康保險。

New York isn't the first place to turn to the internet to offer a legal solution.

紐約不是第一個讓網上結婚合法化的地方。

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently announced that citizens and residents would be allowed to get married online, after the justice ministry created a website for couples to submit required documents. A virtual ceremony, complete with a registrar and witnesses, can then take place.

阿聯(lián)酋最近宣布，將允許公民和居民在網上結婚，司法部已經為新人創(chuàng)建了一個網站，可以提交結婚所需的文件。這樣新人們就可以在有登記員和見證人的情況下在線虛擬登記結婚。

Similar measures have been introduced in the US state of Colorado, where couples are being allowed to apply for marriage licences online.

美國科羅拉多州也采取了類似的措施，允許新人在網上登記結婚。

Meanwhile, one county in Ohio is allowing people to obtain marriage licences online in specific circumstances, such as when one of the partners is a health care worker, suffers from a serious illness or has health insurance issues.

與此同時，美國俄亥俄州的一個縣允許人們在特定情況下可以在線登記結婚，比如情侶中的其中一個人是醫(yī)務工作者、患有重病或者有醫(yī)保問題。