US county asks people to stay '1 large alligator' apart

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - With the U.S. struggling to rein in the spread of the novel coronavirus, one county in Florida state is taking a novel approach.

"Please remember to keep at least 1 large alligator between you and everyone else at all times," Leon County said on Twitter last Thursday with an accompanying visual showing two people separated by a domineering reptile.

State and government leaders are issuing stay-at-home orders and telling citizens to practice social distancing to limit the spread of the virus that has infected nearly 1.3 million worldwide.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines social distancing as "remaining out of congregate settings, avoiding mass gatherings and maintaining distance (approximately 6 feet or 2 meters) from others when possible."

The U.S. is currently the country with the most COVID-19 infections worldwide. A running tally being compiled by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland has counted 337,971 confirmed cases, including 9,654 deaths and 17,582 recoveries nationwide.

There have been 12,350 confirmed cases in Florida where the hardest-hit county remains Miami-Dade where 4,146 confirmed cases have been recorded, including 31 deaths.

Leon County, in the state's northwest, has 42 cases and no deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.