Hong Kong lawmaker who met China’s Xi tests positive for COVID

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A Hong Kong lawmaker who met President Xi Jinping throughout a uncommon go to by the Chinese language chief to the territory final week stated he examined optimistic for COVID-19 two days after the assembly.

Steven Ho, who’s a part of town’s largest pro-Beijing celebration, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), examined optimistic for coronavirus on July 2 and has self remoted, in line with an announcement on his Fb web page on Sunday.

Ho stated he examined damaging for the virus on June 30, the day he was proven in a photograph with Xi, displayed by native broadcaster RTHK.

Xi was in Hong Kong to mark the twenty fifth handover celebration of the territory to the mainland from Britain and swear within the metropolis’s new chief John Lee. It was his first public journey outdoors the Chinese language mainland for the reason that coronavirus pandemic started.

Forward of Xi’s go to to Hong Kong, officers ramped up coronavirus testing and quarantine protocols together with an enormous safety drive, blocking roads and the airspace across the picturesque Victoria Harbour.

China adheres to a “zero COVID” coverage which goals to eradicate all outbreaks, at nearly any value, working counter to a world pattern of attempting to co-exist with the virus.

Xi’s go to to Hong Kong was his first since 2017, when he swore in outgoing chief Carrie Lam and stayed within the metropolis all through his journey.

Throughout final week’s go to he got here into Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday however stayed in a single day in neighbouring Shenzhen. The whereabouts this time, and the explanation why he might have chosen Shenzhen, haven’t been formally confirmed.

(Reporting by Farah Grasp; Modifying by Raju Gopalakrishnan)