美国纽约州的居民可以远程结婚了
纽约州州长安德鲁·科莫签署了一项允许网上结婚的法令。眼下许多婚礼都因为封锁限制而取消了。
From now on, people in the US state will be able to apply for marriage licences remotely and clerks allowed to conduct ceremonies virtually.
从现在起，美国纽约州的居民将能远程申请结婚证，婚姻登记处的办事员可以在线主持登记仪式。
Mr Cuomo joked that the decision meant there was now "no excuse" for couples not to tie the knot.
科莫开玩笑说，这一决定意味着现在新人们“没有理由”不结婚了。
"You can do it by Zoom. Yes or no?" he said in his briefing on Saturday.
4月18日他在新闻发布会上说：“可以通过视频会议软件Zoom结婚了。你们愿不愿意?”
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.
发布这一决定前，纽约州将封锁期延长到了5月15日。仅在纽约市就有超1.3万人死于新冠肺炎。
Social media reaction to the decision was mixed.
社交媒体对这一决定褒贬不一。
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.
有些人质疑为什么新人们会选择在亲友无法参加的时候举行婚礼，也有人批评州长不优先做出其他决定。
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，在全球性流行病期间，婚姻可以带来实际效益，比如允许夫妇共享健康保险。
New York isn't the first place to turn to the internet to offer a legal solution.
纽约不是第一个让网上结婚合法化的地方。
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.
阿联酋最近宣布，将允许公民和居民在网上结婚，司法部已经为新人创建了一个网站，可以提交结婚所需的文件。这样新人们就可以在有登记员和见证人的情况下在线虚拟登记结婚。
Similar measures have been introduced in the US state of Colorado, where couples are being allowed to apply for marriage licences online.
美国科罗拉多州也采取了类似的措施，允许新人在网上登记结婚。
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.
与此同时，美国俄亥俄州的一个县允许人们在特定情况下可以在线登记结婚，比如情侣中的其中一个人是医务工作者、患有重病或者有医保问题。
