The Chief Executive’s Office has on Friday morning announced that the daily Covid media brief scheduled at 11am, which is hosted by Lam, will be canceled “due to a change in schedule arrangements.”

Since March 9, Lam has taken the helm as “commander-in-chief” of the city’s Covid fight, declaring she would continue to host a daily press briefing on anti-epidemic work “until the city wins the battle.”

The daily press conference will only be suspended on Tuesdays for the Hong Kong leader to attend the Executive Council meeting.

With the nomination period for the chief executive election set to start on Sunday as scheduled, Lam’s absence has drawn speculation that her tenure may be heading into extra time.

According to reports, Lam had left for the mainland on Friday, where she will meet with Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, to discuss the Chief Executive election and how the mainland could assist Hong Kong in fighting the current wave of the Covid outbreak.

Xia is currently in Shenzhen coordinating the mainland’s anti-epidemic assistance to Hong Kong.

Local reports had recently quoted pro-establishment heavyweights saying that the country’s top legislative body would delay the city’s Chief Executive election, with Lam to remain at the helm for an extra year.

However, one source close to the matter said the delay was unlikely.

On Thursday, when repeatedly asked if she would seek re-election, Lam, without giving an answer, insisted her current focus was on anti-epidemic work only. She also said the government had no knowledge of any delay in the city’s leadership race.