Beauty influencerNikita Dragun is one of several LA-basedinfluencers who flew toMiami , Florida to party on New Year's Eve.- Florida currently has no statewide COVID-19 lockdown or mask mandate imposed, and Dragun was caught on video without a mask on in a crowded elevator.
- "Everyone's gonna yell at me because I'm not wearing a mask," Dragun can be heard saying in the video, which was posted on TikTok by a fan.
The trend of influencers side-lining COVID-19 safety guidelines to party in large groups continued into New Year's Eve, when several top-tier internet celebrities flew to Miami from LA for nightclub access. 24-year-old beauty influencer Nikita Dragun was one of them, and she was caught on video trying to hide the fact that she wasn't wearing a mask in public.
A TikTok posted by one of Dragun's fans shows her and socialite Dorothy Wang in a crowded elevator. Dragun isn't wearing a mask, and covers her face with her hand before she can be heard saying "Everyone's gonna yell at me because I'm not wearing a mask."
@dildiltaco WE WERE IN AN ELEVATOR AND DOROTHY WANG AND NIKITA WALKED IN ##FORYOU @nikitadragun
♬ original sound - Dylan
One TikTok about the encounter captioned "covid super spreader queen" has more than 750,000 views (it also incorrectly states that Dragun is in the Bahamas, where TikTok influencers Charli and Dixie D'Amelio were recently criticized for vacationing).
Unlike in California, where LA County is operating on an indefinite stay-at-home order and lockdown is affecting restaurants, nightclubs, and other businesses, Florida hasn't imposed any statewide lockdown orders or mask mandates. Miami advertised late-night New Year's weekend events and parties, which influencers like Dragun attended alongside famous YouTubers like Tana Mongeau and Jake Paul.
While Dragun appeared reluctant to show her face on-camera in Miami, she and her peers have been posting footage from crowded, maskless indoor gatherings since July 2020, when influencers began publicly partying (and posting) throughout LA. Some, like Paul and TikTok star Bryce Hall, have drawn the condemnation of local government officials, while other influencers have faced backlash online.
—Def Noodles (@defnoodles) January 3, 2021
Dragun didn't address the TikToks about her maskless elevator appearance, but she has continued to highlight public appearances on social media. Dragun remained in Miami after New Year's Eve, according to her Instagram story, which showed her and TikTok star Larray posing with drag performers at a Latin American restaurant in downtown Miami on Sunday. Dragun didn't respond to Insider's request for comment.
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