After APEC, Hong Kong’s leader tests positive for COVID

• John Lee tested positive after attending a regional economic forum.
• The CEO is in quarantine per CHP standards.
• He has been suspended from all public duties.

John Lee tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a regional economic forum to improve Hong Kong’s image and economy.

Lee tested positive on Monday, the city’s authorities reported, days after meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Bangkok for APEC.

The government stated the CEO is in quarantine per CHP standards.

Lee will work from home during his necessary isolation period, and none of his staff has tested positive.

The APEC summit was Lee’s first overseas trip since taking office in July and his first in any official capacity since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee, a former security chief and policeman, used the trip to promote Hong Kong’s return to the international stage after it terminated its mandatory hotel quarantine regime in September.

The international financial hub maintains some of the world’s strictest COVID-19 curbs, including mask mandates, vaccine passes, and a three-day monitoring period during which arrivals are barred from restaurants and bars.

Despite eliminating the required quarantine, October arrivals were down 98% from the same month in 2019.

The city’s GDP contracted 4.5% in July-September after declining 1.3% the previous quarter.

Lee said he will deliver “positive stories” about Hong Kong in Thailand, whose reputation has been harmed by China’s crackdown on opposition.

During the conference, Lee met with Xi and regional leaders, including the Thai and Singaporean prime ministers.

The APEC summit concluded Saturday with a statement saying the war in Ukraine has caused “immense human suffering” and “significant consequences for the global economy,” while noting “other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”

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