A bird’s eye view of Tavarua, a heart shaped island of Fiji Photo: Courtesy of Tourism Fiji

Fiji confirmed on Friday one more case of the COVID-19, bringing the total number of such cases in the country to 16.

In a televised speech on Friday, Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama said that the latest case is the 9-year-old granddaughter of a man in Labasa, capital of Fiji's second largest island of Vanua Levu.

The girl was taken into isolation on April 4 after the Fijian Health Ministry believed she had a high risk of being infected given her close contact with her 54-year-old grandfather. She initially showed no symptoms but she tested positive of the deadly virus on Friday morning.

This is the sixth confirmed case stemming from the 54-year-old Labasa man, who returned from India in March. He, the father of patients 6 and 7 (a couple) in Fiji's capital of Suva, has tested positive and has been isolated in Labasa while the 11-year-old daughter of the couple in Suva has also tested positive of such virus. The 54-year-old Labasa man's wife has also contracted the COVID-19.

Fiji reported its first confirmed case of the deadly virus on March 19. This case was a 27-year-old Fiji Airways flight attendant who had overseas travel history to the United States and New Zealand.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Fiji is limited so far but the prime minister has warned that the grim reality is that in Fiji, the number of deaths for the cases would likely be much, much higher.

Bainimarama urged on Friday Fijians to abide by the restrictions and help the government fight the deadly virus.

Currently, a 14-day lockdown has been imposed in Suva while a nationwide curfew from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. every day has also been implemented since March 30. The prime minister has warned that a 24-hour curfew will be imposed if Fijians do not adhere to the government restrictions.