INTERNATIONAL: Steve Ho Chun-Yin A Hong Kong lawmaker who was photographed standing close to Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this week announced Sunday he had tested positive for Covid-19.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong under strict security measures from Thursday to Friday to join the celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the sixth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Xi, who has not traveled outside mainland China since the start of the pandemic more than two years ago.

Ho was standing two rows directly behind Xi, according to the photos released by the government.

The lawmaker tested negative on the first day of Xi's visit on Thursday and returned an uncertain test on Friday, he said.

Ho said he tested mildly positive on Friday and had to be retested. He did not attend any of the handover anniversary celebration events that day, according to a statement on his official Facebook page. He then tested positive for the virus on Sunday.

Concerns over the visit started to emerge last week, even before the trip was officially confirmed, when two top Hong Kong officials tested positive for Covid-19.

Hundreds of government officials, legislators and other invited guests were forced into an anti-COVID "closed-loop" system, which included limiting their social contacts, taking daily polymerase chain reaction tests and checking into a quarantine hotel in the days leading up to the visit.

Despite high vaccination rates and a reduction in overall cases, the Hong Kong government remains committed to its own "zero Covid" style policy, maintaining stringent social distancing and contact tracing measures, as well as tight border restrictions -- including a mandatory seven-day hotel quarantine for all arrivals.