File photo shows the Liantang Port/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point linking China's Hong Kong and Shenzhen. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

A truck driver who commutes between Hong Kong and Shenzhen was confirmed to be infected with novel coronavirus on Tuesday, after previously testing negative.

The truck driver, surnamed Chen, 60, tested positive when he entered Shenzhen via the Man Kam To Port from Hong Kong on Monday. The previous five tests that he took at the port had all come back negative. 

Chen had a light cough on Sunday but felt better after taking some medicine.

He is now receiving medical treatment in the Third People's Hospital in Shenzhen. 

The city has quarantined 52 of his close contacts but the Shenzhen government is still looking for more people who came into contact with the patient, as he visited several places on Monday. 

One of the places he went to on Monday was Haijixing wholesale market. 

From Tuesday, the market requires everyone to wear masks and have their body temperature taken before entering. Vendors at the market will be given nucleic acid tests. 

In a bid to better manage drivers who commute between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the Global Times learned that authorities in the city have required drivers to register online before crossing the border and scan their health codes when they reach their destination. In order for them to get permission to work, they must obtain a negative nucleic acid test within seven days.

The discovery of the driver's case comes at a time when the epidemic in Hong Kong is showing signs of rebound. On Monday, the city reported 76 confirmed cases, and adopted a new round of anti-epidemic measures.