In this March 21, 2020 file photo, pedestrians wearing facemasks amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus, walk through a road in the central district of Hong Kong. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong reported 39 new coronavirus infections on Monday, most of them involving travelers returning from overseas, pushing the city’s total tally to 356.

The new patients, 21 males and 18 females, also included a female doctor who had been screening returning travelers at Hong Kong International Airport since March 16

Thirty of the newly confirmed patients, aged 18 to 66, had recent record of travel to virus-stricken countries during the incubation period. The patients include seven students and two flight attendants.

The new patients, 21 men and 18 women, also included a female doctor who had been screening returning travelers at Hong Kong International Airport since March 16. The government will conduct more disinfection at the city’s airport.

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Health authorities are investigating how the 54-year-old doctor, who wore a face mask and face shield, was infected.

All but one of the rest have been confirmed as local contacts of previous patients. One of the confirmed patients was found to have dined at a cafeteria of Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital when he was returning a deep throat saliva sample to the hospital on Saturday. Four patients took part in a private party attended by more than 100 in Wong Chuk Hang on March 14.

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The spike in cases, the third-highest daily increase since COVID-19 hit the city, was reported on the same day the government announced it will ban foreign tourists from entering the city at the airport for two weeks, effective Wednesday, as the government seeks to fend off imported cases.