Beijing?will help “formulate and implement” epidemic-control policies to contain Hong Kong’s largest coronavirus outbreak yet, increasing the chances that harsh lockdown measures routinely enforced on the mainland could soon be extended to the increasingly isolated financial centre.

China’s State Council office responsible for Hong Kong affairs said that officials from the territory would travel “in coming days” to southern Guangdong province for meetings with central and regional health officials. The office added that it was “highly concerned” about the Hong Kong outbreak, which has been stoked by the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

Chinese officials and policy advisers have publicly criticised the Hong Kong government, led by chief executive Carrie Lam, over the past week for failing to hold the line on Beijing’s “zero Covid” policy.