Here is a shout out to Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. She issued a proclamation yesterday including the following authorization for witnesses and notaries to perform their duties through videoconferencing:

“III. Notaries and witnesses

Because person-to-person contact increases the risk of transmitting COVID-19, I find that it would promote the safety and protection of the civilian population to adopt measures that reduce the necessity of in-person meetings. To that end:

A. Notaries in Alabama who are licensed attorneys or operating under the supervision of licensed attorneys may notarize signatures through videoconferencing programs and confirm signatures of witnesses who participate virtually through videoconferencing as though they were physically present at signing.

B. Any person who witnesses a document through videoconference technology may be considered an ‘in person’ witness, provided that the presence and identity of such witnesses are validated by the notary at the time of the signing by the same identifications required under current law.

C. The official date and time of the notarization shall be the date and time when the notary witnesses the signature via the videoconference technology. All documents must be returned to the notary for certification and execution.”

New times and new challenges call for new measures. I am glad to see Alabama stepping to the plate to make signing documents safer for the people of Alabama.