In this picture taken in Hong Kong on March 18, 2020, Mandy Tang, who used to be an interior designer and is now a housewife, walks on her way to a nearby market, to buy locally farmed produce. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG – The city on Sunday reported four new cases of coronavirus infection, the lowest daily increase since mid-March, bringing the tally to 1,004.

Of the latest cases, three were Hong Kong residents returning from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

The other patient, a 63-year-old woman, was confirmed after she developed a fever at a quarantine center and was admitted to a hospital. She is a close contact of a patient who tested positive for the virus on Monday.

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Addressing a daily press briefing, Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, said despite the decreasing trend in the number of new cases, it was too early to say the situation had been brought under control.

In a controlled situation, there should be zero new case for at least two weeks, she pointed out.

The newly confirmed cases showed that the virus was contracted one or two weeks ago, and it took time show the symptoms. Therefore, people should remain vigilant and avoid public gatherings, said Chuang.

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Another 24 patients were discharged from the hospital, taking the total number of recovered patients to 360. Currently, 671 patients are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.