HONG KONG (AFP) – Hong Kong’s finance chief could have to miss an upcoming global banking summit in the city, after his office revealed yesterday he tested positive for the coronavirus.
City authorities are eager for the international finance get-together to show Hong Kong is open for business, having been previously isolated by China’s zero-Covid policy.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan was scheduled to deliver speeches next Wednesday and Thursday at the conference, which is set to draw some 200 participants and the heads of 30 major financial institutions.
But it is now unclear if Chan will be able to attend.
He had been visiting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to build trade ties and was scheduled to return yesterday.
But he tested positive under a rapid antigen test in Riyadh, his office said.
“(Chan) has cancelled the remaining parts of the visit and will stay in Riyadh for a short while, and seek to comply with relevant health requirements and return to Hong Kong as soon as possible,” it said in a statement.
The office did not immediately respond to AFP questions about his updated itinerary.
Hong Kong has gradually relaxed its pandemic controls, including scrapping mandatory quarantine for new arrivals last month.
But it still maintains many curbs long abandoned by much of the world, including rival business hubs.
International arrivals must undergo multiple tests and cannot enter restaurants for the first three days.
Under Hong Kong’s current rules, those who test positive for the coronavirus must isolate at home or in a hotel room, or a government isolation centre.
