A man eats a takeaway meal on a chair placed outside a restaurant in the Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong in the early morning of July 29, 2020, as new social distancing measures come into effect which include the banning of dine-in services at restaurants. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 149 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, hitting another daily record, with 145 of the cases locally transmitted, health officials said.

Among the 145 local cases, 61 were untraceable. The latest cases brought the city's infection tally to 3,151.

According to the Hospital Authority, as of Thursday 9 am local time, 1,660 patients with confirmed infections had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, while 1,168 confirmed patients are currently hospitalized, including 39 in critical condition and 32 in serious condition. The number of deaths from COVID-19 remained at 24. 

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Also on Thursday, the Hong Kong government said it will partially relax its dine-in ban and allow breakfast and lunch services at restaurants from Friday, after noting the ban inconvenience to many workers.

The government also announced to extend special work arrangements for government departments for one week till Aug 9 given the latest situation of the novel coronavirus

The announcement came just one day after the ban was imposed.

Restaurants will be allowed to provide dine-in-service from 5 am to 5:59 pm starting from Friday, according to a government press release issued on Thursday.

The number of people at a table will be restricted to two and restaurants will be allowed to accommodate only half of their seating capacity, according to the press release.

On Thursday, the government also opened 19 community centers for residents to eat inside after noting that the ban on dine-in services at restaurants brought “inconvenience and difficulties” to many workers.

Construction and office workers were seen having their meals outside on pavements under sweltering heat as the ban went effective Wednesday.

The government said starting from Thursday, the Home Affairs Department would open19 community halls or community centers in 18 districts during lunch hours from 11 am to 3 pm.

Members of the public entering the centers are required to have their body temperature checked and wear a mask. They should also be seated 1.5 meters apart.

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The government also announced to extend special work arrangements for government departments for one week till Aug 9 given the latest situation of the novel coronavirus.

The extension aims to reduce social contact and the risk of the virus’ spread in the community, according to a separate release issued by the government. 

Government departments will continue to provide emergency and essential public services.

With Xinhua inputs