GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz went into self-quarantine on Monday after leaning he'd interacted with an individual at the the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last month who's been infected with coronavirus.

This came just days after Gaetz was accused of making light of coronavirus by wearing a gas mask on the House floor, a charge the Florida Republican has denied.

Gaetz's staff said he's not symptomatic and is awaiting results after being tested for the virus.

The Florida lawmaker was with President Donald Trump on Monday, joining him on an Air Force One flight from Florida to Washington, DC.

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GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday announced he's self-quarantined, just days after Democrats accused him of making light of coronavirus by wearing a gas mask on the House floor as he and other lawmakers voted to approve $8.3 billion to help combat the outbreak.

Gaetz interacted with an individual at the the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) last month who's been infected with coronavirus.

"Congressman Gaetz was informed today that he came into contact with a CPAC attendee 11 days ago who tested positive for COVID-19," the Florida Republican's staff said in a series of tweets. "Congressman Gaetz had expected COVID-19 to impact Congress, given the elevated frequency of travel and human contact, and demonstrated his concern last week on the House Floor."

Gaetz has seen a doctor for testing and is awaiting results, the tweets said, adding that he's not experiencing symptoms.

"Under doctor's usual precautionary recommendations, he'll remain self-quarantined until the 14-day period expires this week," his Twitter account said.

—Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) March 9, 2020

Four members of Congress, including Gaetz, have self-quarantined after coming in contact with this individual at CPAC. The other three lawmakers are Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Doug Collins, and Rep. Paul Gosar

Gaetz was with President Donald Trump on Air Force One on Monday after attending a party at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort over the weekend. On the flight back to Washington from Florida, Gaetz learned that he'd come in contact with the infected individual at CPAC, the New York Times reported. He then reportedly sat in a separate section of Air Force One, as a form of self-quarantine.

"Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on airplanes," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website.

Trump was apparently not particularly concerned with keeping his distance from Gaetz on the flight, according to Washington Post reporter Ben Terris, who spoke to the GOP lawmaker. Gaetz told Terris that he was put into a "closed up room" on Air Force One after learning he'd interacted with the infected individual at CPAC, but that Trump "coaxed" him up front before they departed the plane.

"He was not hyper cautious about being in the same space that I was in," Gaetz said, per Terris. "I refused to go into his office, I stood outside the door. I told him he could talk from that distance."

"I've been with the president for the last three days...I was at a fundraiser with the president this afternoon and he was shaking hands, taking pictures, just like he always does," Gaetz added.

Gaetz is not the only GOP lawmaker who has been in Trump's vicinity in recent days before self-quarantining. Collins toured the CDC in Atlanta with the president on Friday.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

One of Gaetz's constituents died from coronavirus after the gas mask incident

Gaetz over the weekend announced that one of his constituents died from the novel coronavirus days after he wore a gas mask on the House floor in an apparent attempt to make light of the illness while voting for an emergency-funding package.

In a statement, Gaetz said he was "extremely saddened to learn of the first fatality in our district," a resident who lived in Santa Rosa County.

As of Monday, there are nearly 600 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the US and more than 20 deaths.

A top health official said the government may impose regional lock-downs to contain the rapid spread of the virus and warned elderly people from traveling as well.

Gaetz is one of Trump's biggest attack dogs on Capitol Hill and has a long record of backing the president even when the facts aren't on their side.

He was at the tip of the Republican spear during the House's impeachment proceedings against Trump last year and made headlines for badgering witnesses with questions unrelated to the allegations at the center of the investigation.

Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois excoriated Gaetz for wearing a gas mask on the House floor last week and highlighted the double standard at play.

"In 2012, I wore a hoodie on the House Floor to make a statement about the deadly consequences of racial profiling," Rush tweeted. "On Wednesday, @RepMattGaetz wore a gas mask in the chamber, making light of an epidemic that has killed 14 Americans."

"Guess which one of us was forcibly removed," he added.

Gaetz on Sunday said he was not trying to make light of coronavirus. "Made light?!?! I was quite serious," Gaetz tweeted. "The threat to Congress is real, as I explained based on travel and habits like selfies and handshakes."

On Monday, the World Health Organization said that with the novel coronavirus rapidly spreading across the world "the threat of a pandemic has become very real."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged by more than 1,800 points after the opening bell on Monday, and the S&P 500 tanked by seven percent, triggering a fail-safe that suspended all trading for 15 minutes.

But stocks continued falling even after the market re-opened, and by mid-afternoon, the Dow dropped by more than 2,000 points to its lowest level since January of last year.