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Wedding license office reopens in ‘marriage capital’ Vegas

Katy Garrett and husband Stuart strike a pose near a Vegas welcome sign in 2012. Las Vegas' Marriage License Bureau has reopened.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
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Las Vegas returned to the wedding business Monday, nearly six weeks after the Marriage License Bureau was closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Clark County Clerk Lynn Goya said staff members at the license office at the downtown Regional Justice Center had masks, gloves and no-touch thermometers. Couples need to complete license applications online before arriving, she said.

The development came as state health officials reported nearly 4,700 Nevada residents had tested positive for the COVID-19 respiratory illness, and at least 206 have died.

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Most people with the virus experience symptoms such as fever and a cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems may face severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Goya said people with a fever would not be admitted to the marriage license office, the number of people inside at one time would be limited, and everyone had to wear a mask or other face covering. Surfaces will be sanitized after each couple leaves.

Vegas residents and city officials call Mayor Carolyn Goodman’s comments ‘dangerous and reckless.’

The license bureau is open every day from 8 a.m. to midnight. Marriage license offices in Henderson, Laughlin and at the Clark County Government Center will remain closed.

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The March 17 closures due to the outbreak brought weddings to a virtual halt in a city that cast itself as a top destination for tying the knot.

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