“They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer… *coughs*”

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” is a famous saying from the film The Godfather Part II (1974). During the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic, people were instructed to “socially distance” themselves from others.
 
“They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer… coughs” was posted on Reddit—Jokes on March 26, 2020. That is, the person is infecting—or at least scaring—the enemies.
   
Related sayings include “Keep your ferns close and your anemones closer,” “Keep your friends close and your french fries closer,” “Keep your friends close and your wine glass closer” “Keep your friends close, but your coffee closer,” “Keep your fries close and your onion rings closer” and “Keep your fronds close and your anemones closer.”
 
   
Wikipedia: 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019, and was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.
 
Wiktionary: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
Proverb
keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
1. One should be on one’s toes and alert of one’s surroundings if malicious people are around, to ensure that they cannot wreak havoc in one’s life.
 
YouTube
The Godfather 2 “Keep Your Friends Close, But Your Enemies Closer”
Sep 21, 2013
Jerry Carr
Michael Corleone shares some wise words.
 
Reddit—Jokes
Posted by u/eagle4123 March 26, 2020
They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…
coughs
 
Twitter
Clairvoyant
@PatrickAtDiscoo
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
then you cough on them HAHAHAHAHA
11:52 AM · Mar 26, 2020·Twitter Web App
 
Twitter
Ignoble Savage
@drayzze
Replying to @jon_newland
They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…
*coughs*
3:38 PM · Mar 26, 2020·Twitter for Android
 
Twitter
John Filipovic
@johnflipside
They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…
*coughs* ..
8:37 PM · Mar 26, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
     
Twitter
FLIP
@flipova
They say keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…
*coughs* ..
8:44 PM · Mar 26, 2020·Twitter for iPhone
 
Twitter
jordan brandt
@jordandbrandt
keep your friends close and your enemies closer
cough
10:08 PM · Mar 26, 2020·Twitter for iPhone