HONG KONG: A Hong Kong The legislator took a group photo with the President of China Xi Jinping During the leader’s visit to the financial center this Sunday, it was confirmed on Sunday that he had tested positive for coronavirus.
Mr. Xi visited Hong Kong under strict security measures to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain in his first trip outside mainland China since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Steven Ho, a 42-year-old member of Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party, who now sits in the city’s rubber stamp legislature, is one of about 100 officials closely linked to Mr. in a phone call on Thursday afternoon.
According to photos released by the government, Mr. Hu stood in two rows directly behind Mr. Xi.
The lawmaker tested negative on the first day of Mr. Xi’s visit on Thursday and returned an uncertain result on Friday, he said.
He did not attend any events on Friday after the test results were uncertain, he said in a statement on social media.
“July 1’s sample is an extremely low infectivity sample and it is classified as ‘uncertain’, but in the interest of public safety I did not participate in the events on July 1. there,” wrote Ho.
Hu is the second member of the DAB party to have a positive result during Xi’s visit.
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole representative for Beijing’s top legislature, tested positive on Thursday and was absent from all events.
China is the only major economy still pursuing a zero-Covid approach to eliminating outbreaks as they emerge, using rapid lockdowns and mass testing.
Mr. Xi has not left China for nearly 900 days, and the vast country’s borders have been largely sealed off to most outsiders.
Hong Kong is pursuing a milder version of zero-Covid but has kept severe travel and collection restrictions in place throughout the pandemic.
Particularly tight rules have been imposed to ensure both the coronavirus and political opposition are not in Mr Xi’s orbit during his trip to the city, where the pro-democracy movement has been quashed since major protests three years ago.
Hundreds of government officials, lawmakers and other invited guests have been forced into a “closed” anti-Covid system, which includes restricting their social relationships, carrying out tests, and running tests. Daily PCR checks and a quarantine hotel check in the days before the visit.
During the visit, parts of the city were closed off, prominent dissidents were under intense police surveillance, and many journalists were barred from reporting on official events.
Nine arrests were made by the city’s national security police in the week before Xi’s visit, and at least two arrests were made on Friday.
Mr. Xi visited Hong Kong under strict security measures to mark the 25th anniversary of the city’s handover from Britain in his first trip outside mainland China since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Steven Ho, a 42-year-old member of Hong Kong’s largest pro-Beijing party, who now sits in the city’s rubber stamp legislature, is one of about 100 officials closely linked to Mr. in a phone call on Thursday afternoon.
According to photos released by the government, Mr. Hu stood in two rows directly behind Mr. Xi.
The lawmaker tested negative on the first day of Mr. Xi’s visit on Thursday and returned an uncertain result on Friday, he said.
He did not attend any events on Friday after the test results were uncertain, he said in a statement on social media.
“July 1’s sample is an extremely low infectivity sample and it is classified as ‘uncertain’, but in the interest of public safety I did not participate in the events on July 1. there,” wrote Ho.
Hu is the second member of the DAB party to have a positive result during Xi’s visit.
Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong’s sole representative for Beijing’s top legislature, tested positive on Thursday and was absent from all events.
China is the only major economy still pursuing a zero-Covid approach to eliminating outbreaks as they emerge, using rapid lockdowns and mass testing.
Mr. Xi has not left China for nearly 900 days, and the vast country’s borders have been largely sealed off to most outsiders.
Hong Kong is pursuing a milder version of zero-Covid but has kept severe travel and collection restrictions in place throughout the pandemic.
Particularly tight rules have been imposed to ensure both the coronavirus and political opposition are not in Mr Xi’s orbit during his trip to the city, where the pro-democracy movement has been quashed since major protests three years ago.
Hundreds of government officials, lawmakers and other invited guests have been forced into a “closed” anti-Covid system, which includes restricting their social relationships, carrying out tests, and running tests. Daily PCR checks and a quarantine hotel check in the days before the visit.
During the visit, parts of the city were closed off, prominent dissidents were under intense police surveillance, and many journalists were barred from reporting on official events.
Nine arrests were made by the city’s national security police in the week before Xi’s visit, and at least two arrests were made on Friday.
