NY Governor: Now There's 'No Excuse' Not to Get Married

Cuomo gives OK for couples to get marriage license remotely, have ceremony via video
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 20, 2020 8:22 AM CDT
NY Governor: Now There's 'No Excuse' Not to Get Married
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Tomwang112)

New York state has nearly 243,000 coronavirus cases, with almost 14,000 deaths as of Monday—but Gov. Andrew Cuomo doesn't want these troubling times to stop anyone from tying the knot. Cuomo on Saturday announced an executive order for this "disaster emergency" that allows marriage licenses to be issued remotely. The order also enables town or city clerks to conduct marriage ceremonies over video with the happy couple. "There is now no excuse when the question comes up for marriage," Cuomo said at a coronavirus presser over the weekend, per Gizmodo. "No excuse. You can do it by Zoom. Yes or no." The Verge notes that New York's marriage bureaus have been shuttered during the pandemic, meaning that "I do" dates have had to be postponed.

Cuomo's new mandate changes all that. Those interested in taking Cuomo up on his remote-marriage offer will need to show a legitimate ID during the video call, and there must be "direct interaction between the couple and the town or city clerk, the witness or the person to solemnize the marriage (ie, no pre-recorded videos of the person signing or engaged in the marriage ceremony)." Per the BBC, reaction online to Cuomo's announcement has been "mixed," with some saying beaus should wait until the crisis is over to get married so that family and friends can celebrate with them. Others point out that some people need to get married for more sensible reasons, such as being able to share health insurance coverage. (More Andrew Cuomo stories.)

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