A woman wears a face mask as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 disease as she visits a cargo dock dubbed ‘Instagram Pier’ in Hong Kong on April 21, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG – The city reported no new case of the COVID-19 disease on Sunday, the third time in a week, but the health authorities urged residents not to let down their guard yet. 

According to the Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health, the tally of novel coronavirus cases remained at 1,037 by 4:00 pm local time, the same as of Saturday. 

Thanks to effective anti-epidemic measures by the HKSAR government, daily increases of COVID-19 cases have shown signs of subsiding during the recent weeks. 

READ MORE: HK sees no new COVID-19 cases for 2nd time in 5 days 

However, the CHP still urged the public to maintain appropriate social distance and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings in a bid to reduce the chance of coming in contact with infected people who may not present any symptoms. 

"Given that the situation of the COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong," said a spokesman for the CHP. 

ALSO READ: Govt to charter flights to fly back residents in India, Pakistan 

The HKSAR government has announced the extension of social distancing measures from closing bars to limiting restaurant services for another two weeks since Friday.