A lawmaker from Hong Kong who met President Xi Jinping during the Chinese president’s unusual visit to the territory last week claims he tested positive for COVID-19 two days later.

According to a statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Steven Ho, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), the city’s main pro-Beijing party, tested positive for the coronavirus on July 2. He has since self-isolated.

On June 30, the day he appeared in a photo with Xi that was published by the local channel RTHK, Ho claimed to have tested negative for the virus.

Xi was in Hong Kong for the 25th anniversary of the territory’s handover from Britain to the Chinese mainland and to witness the oath of office for John Lee, the city’s new mayor. Since the coronavirus outbreak started, he had never made a public travel outside of the Chinese mainland.

Prior to Xi’s visit to Hong Kong, authorities increased coronavirus testing, quarantine procedures, and a sizable security force, closing roads and restricting airspace near the lovely Victoria Harbour.

In contrast to a global tendency of attempting to coexist with the virus, China has a “zero COVID” policy that intends to eradicate all outbreaks at almost any cost.

It was Xi’s first trip to Hong Kong since he installed outgoing leader Carrie Lam and spent the entire trip there in 2017.

He arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday and Friday of last week’s tour, but spent the night in the nearby city of Shenzhen. There has been no official confirmation of his whereabouts this time or the motives behind his potential choice of Shenzhen.

Image Credit: Getty

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