Maskless Ron DeSantis High-Fives Trump Supporters at Packed Florida Rally

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was recorded on video on Monday night high-fiving attendees at a Trump rally in the state while not wearing a mask or face covering.

Shortly after high-fiving several rally-goers in Sanford, DeSantis was then seen rubbing his nose. Footage of the event on Monday night suggests there was very little mask-wearing from the crowd—a common occurrence at recent Trump rallies.

It was the first in-person campaign event Donald Trump has held since he was diagnosed with COVID. The president did hold an event shortly before his positive test was announced.

In the video, DeSantis can be seen walking through the packed crowd and giving high-fives to some of the president's supporters.

Attendees did not appear to be socially distancing and the Republican governor touched his face after he interacted with them. This behavior is not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"Maintain at least 6 feet of separation as much as possible in areas that may lead to close contact (within 6 feet) among other people, such as weight rooms, group fitness studios, pools and saunas, courts and fields, walking/running tracks, locker rooms, check-in areas, parking lots, and routes of entry and exit," the CDC guidelines on COVID-19 say.

"Don't shake hands, give high-fives, do elbow bumps, or touch others because close contact increases the risk of acquiring COVID-19," the guidelines add.

Speaking at the rally about an hour before the president's speech, DeSantis told the thousands of assembled Trump supporters that Republicans wouldn't let Democrats "shut down the country."

"Florida people can go to school. You can go to a store. You can do those things," he said.

DeSantis has been a strong supporter of the president's call to reopen the economy but he become a subject of criticism after the virus surged in Florida. The governor had earlier criticized the press for suggesting his state would be hit hard by COVID-19.

"You got a lot of people in your profession who waxed poetically for weeks and weeks about how Florida was going to be just like New York," DeSantis told reporters on May 20.

"Wait two weeks, Florida's going to be next. Just like Italy, wait two weeks. Well, hell we're eight weeks away from that and it hasn't happened," he said.

However, within the following seven weeks, Florida suffered a surge in cases and hospitalizations. In total, there have been more than 736,000 recorded cases and 15,000 deaths in the state up to October 12, according to the New York Times.