Club members queue outside a gym after it reopened, as staff assist them with temperature checks as part of their measures against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Hong Kong on May 8, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

HONG KONG, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Center for Health Protection (CHP) reported no new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the 23rd consecutive day with no local infections in Hong Kong.

As of 4 p.m. Tuesday local time, no new local confirmed cases of COVID-19 had been recorded, and the total number of confirmed cases in Hong Kong remained at 1,047, the CHP announced.

The epidemic situation in Hong Kong has been subsiding for weeks, with only sporadic imported cases being reported. The CHP repeated appeals to the members of the public to remain vigilant and maintain an appropriate social distance to minimize the risk of infection and outbreak clusters in the community.

It also urged people to avoid non-essential travel outside Hong Kong "given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world."

According to Hong Kong's Hospital Authority, by Tuesday noon, 991 confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients have been discharged from hospitals upon recovery, while 53 confirmed patients remain hospitalized in 12 hospitals, including one in critical condition and three in serious condition.