HONG KONG - Hong Kong on Saturday reported the highest number of daily new cases of COVID-19 in about three months, with the authorities toughening up measures to fend off a new wave of the epidemic outbreak.

The Center for Health Protection (CHP) said there were seven new imported cases and 36 local infections on Saturday, including 13 with unknown origins.

Meanwhile, over 60 cases were also tested positive primarily.

Head of the CHP's Communicable Disease Branch Chuang Shuk-kwan said the new cases have been climbing rapidly in recent days and warned of the fourth wave of the epidemic outbreak.

In the face of the resurgence of COVID-19 cases, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has tightened social distancing measures including banning live performance in bars and nightclubs and suspending in-person learning for grade 1-3 primary school students.

HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said in a social media post that the situation was "fairly severe" and pledged more testing to cut transmission chains.

Weighed on by the worsening epidemic, the bilateral Air Travel Bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore due to start on Sunday will be postponed for two weeks and the launch time will be subject to the development of the epidemic.