People wearing face masks take a walk at a park in Hong Kong, March 1, 2021. (LO PING FAI / XINHUA)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported seven new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including one local case that was linked to a previous infection, pushing the city’s overall tally to 11,461.

Among the six new imported cases, two were from Ukraine and one each from Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and the Philippines, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in a statement.

The local infection involved a 44-year-old woman who has been asymptomatic, according to the CHP.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she had asked officials to resume discussions on travel bubble arrangements “we could put in place to facilitate bilateral traveling, particularly with Singapore”

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said on Tuesday that passengers from the city may need to get vaccinated to take part in so-called travel bubbles if partner countries such as Singapore make it mandatory.

READ MORE: S'pore says mulling launch of air travel bubble with Hong Kong

“Of course, vaccinations will facilitate the resumption of travel,” Lam told a weekly briefing, adding that she had asked officials to resume discussions on arrangements “we could put in place to facilitate bilateral traveling, particularly with Singapore.”

But Lam reiterated that the government would not make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for Hong Kong residents.

Infectious disease specialist Joseph Tsang Kay-yan said the government should try harder to encourage residents to get the jabs by providing work- and travel-related incentives.

The Hong Kong government announced on Monday that the city’s swimming pools and beaches will reopen on Thursday, while theaters and theme parks will be allowed to operate at 75 percent of their full capacity.

Speaking on a public radio program, Tsang said that the relaxation was a moderate move, while further easing of social distancing measures can be considered when no local cases are recorded for two straight weeks.

ALSO READ: HK to allow two-thirds of students to return to campuses

As of Monday, around 24,600 Hong Kong residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with the mainland-made Sinovac vaccine. Around another 450,500 residents have received their first shot, with 299,200 of them getting the Sinovac vaccine and the remaining 151,300 the Germany-made BioNTech shot.

With inputs from Bloomberg