BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 20: Pedestrians run on the Harvard Bridge connecting Boston and Cambridge on March 20, 2020 in Boston, Massachusetts. Local gyms and health clubs have been shut down across the country due to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but people have still been encouraged to exercise outside while social distancing. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The city of Boston is promoting social distancing in terms only New Englanders can understand.
In a tweet, the city offered a Boston-centric reminder that people should stay at least six feet apart when outside, saying the distance was roughly equal to 15 ice coffee to-go cups.
Bostonians are known for their love of ice coffee not only in the summer, but the dead of winter.
When a Twitter user asked if the tweet was referring to Dunkin' or Starbucks coffee cups, the city replied, "As if we're going to get in the middle of that! Viewers choice."
In response to a question on Twitter, the city also estimated that the distance was equal to one-and-a-quarter "Smoots," referring to a humorous, non-standard unit of length created as a MIT prank decades ago.
Amid the coronavirus outbreak, the city has issues a series of strict guidelines and advisories through May 4, including a public health advisory for residents who are not essential workers to stay at home from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
