Lawmaker positive after snap with Xi
4 Jul 2022
Wallis Wang
Lawmaker Steven Ho Chun-yin has tested positive for Covid after attending the meet-and-greet photo session with President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Hong Kong, meanwhile, recorded 1,828 cases yesterday and Macau said it will welcome 650 mainland medics in the next few days to help it process three more rounds of mass testing this week.
Ho, a member of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and who represents the agriculture and fisheries sector, stood on the third row, but right behind Xi in the group photo.
All of the guests in the photo kept their KN95 masks on and authorities said they were only together for several minutes. Ho, on a Facebook post yesterday, said his infection was confirmed on Saturday. He has informed the government about it and is isolating at home.
"I tested negative on June 30 but the testing result on July 1 returned indeterminate as the sample carried a low viral count. To ensure the safety of the public, I did not attend any events on July 1," Ho said, adding he is in a stable condition.
Ho said in an earlier post that he was fortunate to stand behind Xi.
"The country attaches great importance to the agriculture and fisheries sector and the government should know what to do," he said.
Ho also said he greeted Xi during the photo-taking session.
"I not only greeted [Xi] but also said: 'Thank you for your hard work, Mr President.' He gave me a friendly nod," Ho said
Health authorities refused to speculate on whether Ho's infection would trigger an outbreak among guests at the handover celebrations.
"Only family members who live in the same flat as Covid patients and those who have face-to-face unmasked contacts with patients during the infectious period will be listed as close contacts," said Centre for Health Protection's principal medical and health officer, Albert Au Ka-wing.
Au said Hong Kong yesterday recorded 1,681 local infections and 147 imported cases. Among them were 28 carrying the Omicron BA4 or BA5 subvariants and 23 BA2121 cases.
The Hotpot Foodie cluster in Kwun Tong involving the BA4 or BA5 subvariants saw three more diners testing positive, taking its tally to 14 cases.
Macau yesterday saw 90 new infections, taking its tally for the latest outbreak to 784. Two female patients aged 94 and 100 died.
The government said it will launch three more rounds of mass testing this week and that the mainland will send 650 medics to facilitate the sample-collecting work.
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https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/11/243265/Lawmaker-positive-after-snap-with-Xi
