Ho was one of about 100 officials granted close contact with Xi for a photo call last Thursday. He was standing two rows directly behind Xi, according to the photos released by the government.

Ho said that he tested negative on the first day of Xi's visit on Thursday and returned an uncertain test on Friday. He did not take part in any events on Friday after the uncertain test result.

"The sample of July 1 was one with extremely low infectivity and it was categorized as 'uncertain', but for the sake of public security, I did not participate in the events on that day," Ho wrote in a statement on social media.

Ho was the second member of the DAB party to have tested positive around Xi's visit. Tam Yiu-chung, Hong Kong's sole representative to Beijing's top lawmaking body, tested positive last Thursday and was absent from all events.

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 PCR tests and checking into a quarantine hotel in the days leading up to Xi's visit.