People visit Tamar Park in Hong Kong on May 5, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong confirmed four new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the largest daily increase in the past two weeks, taking the local tally to 1,044.

The cases, all imported from Pakistan, ended the city’s two-day run of zero infections but confirmed 18 days free from local transmission

The cases, all imported from Pakistan, ended the city’s two-day run of zero infections but confirmed 18 days free from local transmission.

The latest patients, all males aged 11 to 47, returned to Hong Kong on the same flight on Wednesday. They tested positive for the coronavirus at a temporary testing center set up near the city’s airport at AsiaWorld-Expo. None of them had any outward coronavirus symptom. Thirteen family members, considered as close contacts, have been placed under quarantine at Chun Yeung public housing estate, said the Centre of Health Protection.

Also on Thursday, a 36-year-old man again tested positive for the virus, three weeks after recovering from the disease and being discharged from hospital. He is the city’s tenth patient to have tested positive twice. Health authorities said the man’s viral load is “pretty high” but he is not considered that contagious and in a stable condition.

Last Friday, two of 319 Hong Kong residents flown back from Pakistan via a government-chartered flight had been confirmed as infected. Their infection was confirmed a day after arriving in the city.

The Hong Kong government is arranging to charter flights to evacuate more than 3,000 residents stranded in India, according to local media reports on Thursday.

Separately, as of Wednesday, about 2 million Hong Kong residents had registered online for a washable face mask that can be reused up to 60 times. The mask will be delivered to the applicant’s residence within two weeks of successful registration.

ALSO READ: HK sees no new infections as registration for free masks opens

With the pandemic receding, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge will see resumption of a shuttle bus service between Hong Kong and Macao from Friday but with a limited capacity. Six pairs of buses will reconnect two cities after the outbreak forced the service to be suspended on April 6.

In neighbouring Macao, also on Thursday, the government started conducting coronavirus tests at Taipa Ferry Terminal for about 15,000 local teachers, students and other Macao residents who need to frequently commute across the border. Previously, the Zhuhai government had been in charge of testing.

The test result will remain valid for seven days. The first test is free of charge while subsequent tests are priced at MOP180 (US$23) each.

Each person who takes the test can access the border from either side by producing a test certificate issued on site or by holding up a cellphone to show the negative result indicated in green 24 hours after testing.

READ MORE: HK govt to distribute reusable face masks to all residents

Macao’s COVID-19 tally stands at 45, with its last case recorded 29 days ago. Forty patients have been discharged from hospitals so far.

jefferygu@chinadailyhk.com