México turns to cartoon character for coronavirus education

March 21, 2020: The Mexican government has created a super-woman style cartoon character called ``Susana Distancia,” a play on the Spanish words for ``A Healthy Distance,” to remind people to keep apart to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Susana Distancia became a trending topic on Twitter—where the character has an account—after social media users noticed that the government has been largely failing to take its own advice about social distancing.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shook hands and kissed a child at rallies in recent days.

But on Friday he posted a video of him standing near a little girl at a roadside gathering of supporters. López Obrador told her ``I love you but I can't give you a kiss,” noting the need ``to keep a healthy distance.``

However, other Twitter users noted that reporters at the press conference where the character was presented were sitting elbow to elbow and sharing the same microphone.

With her arms outstretched and a bubble of protection around her, Susana Distancia tweets phrases like ``If you feel like I'm being distant, don't worry, that's the way I am,” and ``keep your distance from machismo, which kills more.”

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Revised: 03/24/20 16:05:44 -0800.