“With results [in policy execution], we would narrow the differences and build up mutual trust [between the people and the government], so that Hong Kong will become a city that is full of hope, more liveable and more open.”

A senior official said the meeting was to prepare for the busy week ahead as Lee prepared to chair his first meeting with his advisers in the Executive Council on Tuesday and to be grilled by lawmakers for the first time in a question-and-answer session in the Legislative Council the day after.

“Everyone had the chance to share their views on how we should work with each other, divide our work, and engage the public [in the first meeting],” the source said, adding that different senior officials had separate meetings on Sunday afternoon to discuss policy issues such as the pandemic and border reopening.

Another source said that the meeting mainly discussed matters such as political principles and governing style. “Concrete policy issues were not the focus,” he added.

Quarantine-free business travel corridor with mainland on cards for Hong Kong?

A day after swearing-in as the city’s new leader, Lee on Saturday had already made phone calls to counterparts in the Greater Bay Area, including Guangdong province party secretary Li Xi, Guangdong governor Wang Weizhong, Shenzhen party secretary Meng Fanli and Shenzhen mayor Qin Weizhong on seizing opportunities for further economic integration. It remained unclear if they discussed border reopening.

While a source said the phone conversations were courtesy calls, Lee pledged in a pre-recorded television interview which aired on Sunday to lower the city’s daily Covid-19 caseload and lobby his mainland Chinese counterparts for “limited measures” to reopen the border with the rest of the country.

Lee did not elaborate on his proposal, but he made the promise following calls from top advisers to launch a quarantine-free business travel corridor ahead of a full border reopening.

“If we can adopt some limited measures to make crossing the border more convenient, this can be a pragmatic first step,” he said.

Reopening border with mainland to be priority: Hong Kong’s incoming minister

Hong Kong’s new health minister Professor Lo Chung-mau had previously suggested a “5+2” option, in which international arrivals could be put under hotel quarantine for five days, followed by two days of home isolation.

Asked if “3+4” could also be considered, Lee said he would first look at scientific data with Lo to assess the risks.

On the daily caseload, Lee expressed hopes of bringing numbers down, pointing out that even with a low mortality rate, a higher infection count would still mean more potential deaths.

He warned that even though the city’s public health system could cope with higher caseloads, elderly residents would face high risks of infection. Follow-up services provided to patients with chronic illnesses, such as cancer, would also be delayed as medical professionals would need more time on treating those with Covid-19, he added.

Lee also revealed he had been in talks with health minister Lo on the city’s capacity to conduct more polymerase chain reaction tests, which are more accurate, sensitive and reliable than rapid antigen screenings.

Hong Kong on Sunday confirmed 1,828 coronavirus infections, including 147 imported cases, down from the total of 2,227 reported on Saturday. No deaths related to the virus were reported. The city’s Covid-19 tally stands at 1,251,916 cases, with 9,405 associated fatalities.

Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection noted that the decrease in caseloads was related to the No 8 typhoon warning signal which was issued until 4.20pm on Saturday and led to the closure of testing centres.

Three more cases were also found in a cluster linked to a hotpot restaurant in Kwun Tong, bringing the total number of infections to 14.

Hong Kong lawmaker tests positive for Covid after posing for photo with Xi Jinping

Lawmaker Eunice Yung Hoi-yan, of the New People’s Party, said border reopening was likely to be a hot topic many Legco members would ask Lee about on Wednesday.

“Even though many Hong Kong people don’t mind being quarantined on the mainland, they simply could not book a hotel to do so,” she said.

“So many lawmakers wanted to know if some Hong Kong hotels can be included in the mainland’s quarantine hotel booking system.”

Meanwhile, the chief executive said he hoped to stop the waiting time for public housing units, which currently stands at 6.1 years on average, from getting longer.

Newly sworn-in Hong Kong leader John Lee vows he ‘won’t let President Xi down’

He added that while he would not punish his ministers arbitrarily, he would not hesitate to replace any senior official who was found to be incapable.

“If a senior official is not doing his job, or he just doesn’t have the ability to do it. I think it’s impossible for me to allow him to waste our time,” he added.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, separately, said Xi’s speech, which highlighted the need to maintain the city’s unique status, including its common law system, and connections with the rest of the world, had reinforced various sectors’ confidence in the governing principle.

“Many businessmen and professionals believe that this is the best guarantee for them to invest in the future development of Hong Kong and even increase their investment,” he wrote.