It’s difficult with all of the emergency orders and proclamations to know what is essential and what isn’t.

The good news for some folks is that getting married is considered an “essential activity.” So if you and your significant other have been staying at home together for a couple of weeks and decide that you might as well tie the knot, Guilford County will oblige you, but with certain limitations as far as time and place go.

Some people (particularly men) refer to marriage as “the old ball and chain,” and Guilford County seems to have taken that to heart.

According to an amended order from Guilford County Chief District Court Judge Teresa Vincent, “Magistrates shall perform wedding ceremonies on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm by appointment only in the High Point and Greensboro jails.”

That’s right, you can still get married in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, but you have to go to jail to do it. However, if after another month cooped up together you decide that it wasn’t such a good idea after all, most other court proceedings have been postponed to June 1, so it might take a while to get a divorce.

All magistrate administrative courts are closed and cases continued until after May 31.

Another change in the most recent order is that while courtrooms are mostly closed and most cases scheduled for March and April had already been continued, this order also continues the cases scheduled for May.

Juvenile Abuse Neglect & Dependency Court and Delinquency Court “may be held remotely when it is feasible to do so.”

That is also true for the Specialty Courts, Adult Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Court and Juvenile Drug Treatment Court, which can also be held remotely if feasible.

According to the latest order, “Minor settlements shall be handled remotely.”