In this picture taken on Oct 4, 2020, a man waits for the results of a mandatory COVID-19 coronavirus test given to all new arrivals, while standing at a window with a view of parked Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon passenger jets on the tarmac at Hong Kong International Airport. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s air travel bubble with Singapore has been postponed until next year as the special administrative region reported 82 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said in a statement that the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Singapore will review the arrangement in late December. 

Out of the 82 new cases on Tuesday, 72 were local infections and 23 of them were of unknown origin, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch

The decision to defer further the travel bubble, which should have been launched on Nov 22, was made due to Hong Kong’s worsening local outbreaks, which saw a large number of untraceable cases.

Out of the 82 new cases on Tuesday, 72 were local infections and 23 of them were of unknown origin, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch.

Thirty-two belonged to dance club cluster, which now has 552 patients.

ALSO READ: HK civil servants to work from home as city sees 76 new cases

Chuang also said that at least 60 people tested preliminarily positive as the city’s tally of confirmed cases reached 6,396.

A new small outbreak emerged at a construction site of Lohas Park, a private housing project in Tseung Kwan O, as three workers were confirmed as infected and eight others tested preliminarily positive, according to Chuang. More than 900 workers at the same site need to undergo testing.

Like in previous outbreaks, the virus had also been detected in care homes across the city. 

Among the preliminary cases, eight involved patients living at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Fong Shu Chuen Care & Attention Home in Shau Kei Wan. Two residents and three workers at the center had been confirmed as infected.

Two workers and a resident at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Ho Yuk Ching Willow Lodge in Tai Kok Tsui were also found to be infected.

ALSO READ: HK to suspend classes as pandemic worsens

Meanwhile, Shenzhen’s health authorities confirmed an imported case from Hong Kong on Tuesday. The patient is a 60-year-old driver of cross-boundary container trucks.

The man developed a cough on Sunday and tested positive for the coronavirus the next day when he crossed into Shenzhen. He had tested negative in five previous tests conducted from Nov 20 to 28. A total of 52 people in Shenzhen were quarantined.