Nuku'alofa, TONGA — Another new COVID-19 case has taken Tonga's tally of cases back to five.

This comes after one of the five cases identified on Tuesday returned a negative test.

Matangi Tonga reports the new case, who is fully vaccinated, was a co-worker of one of the primary cases who tested positive on Tuesday.

They are all in isolation.

The Minister for Health, Saia Piukala, says 726 tests had been done as of yesterday, yielding seven close contacts, who tested negative, but have been placed in home isolation.

The chief executive of the Health Ministry, Dr Siale 'Akau'ola, said the person who had returned a negative test would still be monitored and remain in isolation for 14 days.

Meanwhile, the government has extended the lockdown, due to finish last night, until 6pm on Sunday.

The Nuias are exempt because no lockdown has been in place there.

Services that can operate today are shops, bank ATM's, gas stations, and roadside food vendors.

The Tonga Development Bank will open for half a day.

The government is directing that only one person per household do any shopping.

It says checkpoints will ensure people comply.

CABLE COULD BE RESTORED BY NEXT WEEK

The repair ship Reliance is in Tongan waters and has started fixing the Southern Cross cable which was broken in the huge volcanic eruption in Tonga last month.

The cable must be pulled up out of the water to determine the extent of damage before it is repaired.

Chief-executive of Tonga Cable Limited, Samuiela Fonua, expected to have the cable fully operational next week.

"They've started the repair so I guess we won't be able to hear anything until they've fixed it," he said.

Fonua said the ship is fully self-sufficient and has medical team onboard in case of Covid-19 breaking out, though the crew were fully vaccinated last month in Papua New Guinea.