A Republican congressman has been forced to self-quarantine over coronavirus less than a week after he appeared to mock measures to contain the outbreak by wearing an enormous gas mask in Congress.

Matt Gaetz, a representative for Florida, shared a picture of himself wearing the mask on Twitter ahead of a vote on an emergency funding package for the US response to the virus last week.

On Monday, he was told to quarantine himself after learning that he came into contact with an attendee at CPAC, a major conservative conference, who tested positive for Covid-19.

Mr Gaetz also flew with Donald Trump on Air Force One on Monday and was not informed he had come into contact with the infected attendee until midway through the flight.

“While the Congressman is not experiencing symptoms, he received testing today and expects results soon,” a statement from Mr Gaetz's office said.

Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Show all 11 1 /11 Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Ben Gurion International airport, Israel Empty El Al Israel Airlines check-in counters are seen at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel February 27, 2020. REUTERS/Amir Cohen AMIR COHEN Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing This picture taken on February 14, 2020 shows two men wearing face masks walking through a nearly empty terminal at Daxing international airport in Beijing, as travel has ground to a halt in the wake of the the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images) NICOLAS ASFOURI AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan epa08238057 The empty departure hall of the No 2 Terminal at the Taoyuan International Airport in Taoyuan City, northen Taiwan, 22 February 2020. The coronavirus causing COVID-19 disease which originated from Wuhan, China, has devastated Taiwan's tourism and aviation industries, forcing airlines to cancel flights and travel agencies to lay off workers or close. EPA/DAVID CHANG DAVID CHANG EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam A woman walks in the nearly empty arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on February 27, 2020, as the number of air travellers has plummeted amid fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) MLADEN ANTONOV AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo A man wearing protective face mask, following the outbreak of the coronavirus, pushes his luggage past desks, closed for construction, at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov STOYAN NENOV Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Changsha Huanghua International Airport, China A woman wearing a face mask stands in the empty luggage collection hall at the airport in Changsha, Hunan Province, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus, China, January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter THOMAS PETER Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China epaselect epa08194188 A passenger wearing a protective mask stands in the empty hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China, 04 February 2020 (issued 05 February 2020). Major global airlines have canceled their flights to mainland China to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has so far killed at least 493 people and infected more that 24,000, mostly in China. EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY ROMAN PILIPEY EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Daxing International Airport, Beijing This picture taken on February 14, 2020 shows a salesclerk wearing a protective face mask and gloves (R) at an empty duty free shop at Daxing international airport in Beijing, as travel has ground to a halt in the wake of the the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP) (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images) NICOLAS ASFOURI AFP via Getty Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Haneda Airport, Tokyo An empty departures gate is pictured at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, Japan, March 4, 2020. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov STOYAN NENOV Reuters Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China epa08194181 Passengers wearing protective masks sit in the empty hall of Shanghai Pudong Airport in Shanghai, China, 04 February 2020 (issued 05 February 2020). Major global airlines have canceled their flights to and from mainland China to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus, which has so far killed at least 493 people and infected more that 24,000, mostly in China. EPA/ROMAN PILIPEY ROMAN PILIPEY EPA Airports empty as Coronavirus affects aviation industry Noi Bai International Airport, Vietnam Passengers with protective facemasks walk with their luggage in the empty arrival hall of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on February 27, 2020, as the number of air travellers has plummeted amid fears over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images) MLADEN ANTONOV AFP via Getty

Although he has insisted he was not making light of the outbreak in his Twitter post, the Republican lawmaker received widespread criticism for the image, which followed an interview with Vanity Fair that showed him joking about the virus.

As he complained about a lack of media coverage for himself due to the outbreak dominating the news cycle, Mr Gaetz said: “I am just low-key convinced that Jillian [Lane Wyant - his chief of staff] would give me coronavirus to get me back on television.”

The congressman also jokingly asked if coronavirus was being “weaponised” to “take out the boomers”.

The backlash against his response to the virus was intensified on Saturday, when it was revealed that one of his constituents, a resident from his district in Santa Rosa County, Florida, had died due to a coronavirus-related illness.

“This is an absolute tragedy. It is also deeply saddening that when presented with an opportunity to lead, @RepMattGaetz chose to make a cheap joke about an epidemic that would ultimately claim the life of one of his constituents,” Bobby L Rush, a Democratic congressman for Illinois, wrote on Twitter.

Mr Gaetz said he was “extremely saddened” to learn of the death on Saturday.

He is one of five senior Republicans, including senator Ted Cruz, who have self-quarantined over their contact with the CPAC attendee.

Doug Collins, a Georgia congressman who has gone into self-isolation, was seen greeting Mr Trump with a handshake in Atlanta on Friday when the pair visited the headquarters of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

Mark Meadows, the president’s newly appointed chief of staff, was also among the five self-quarantined Republicans.