The re-emergence of Covid 19 in New Zealand has prompted the Fiji government to plead with its people to download a contact tracing mobile phone app.
careFiji app promotion Photo: Fiji Govt
Yesterday there were 78 active cases in New Zealand while Fiji had seven - all in border quarantine.
Fiji's attorney general, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, said the careFIJI app alerts users who may have been exposed to the virus.
"If we do have a situation like what's happened in Auckland, we will quickly need to be able to trace where the source is," Sayed-Khaiyum said.
"As you have seen in Auckland, if you aren't able to trace the source, you have to go into lockdown and that's an enormous economic impact on your towns, cities and indeed on your country."
So far, less than 1000 Fijians have registered on the app but if more did so, it would be easier to market Fiji as a safe holiday destination, the attorney general said.
Forty percent of the Fiji's GDP is driven by the tourism industry, which came to a grinding halt during the pandemic.
The Blue Lane initiative to attract super yachts has brought a few wealthy tourists back to the country although its Bula Bubble proposal to bring in holiday makers from Australia and New Zealand is yet to get off the ground.
Sayed-Khaiyum said the government was still trying to generate interest from overseas travellers.
"When you have a tourist sitting in New Zealand or Australia planning their holiday when the borders open... they are not only going to look at the cost of going to Fiji in terms of hotel rates or air travel.
"They will see what kind of health measures we have in place."
