French Polynesians have been asked to mark today as a day of commemoration of those who have died in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Almost 500 people have died and more than 40,000 have contracted the virus.
The president Edouard Fritch has asked the public to honour the victims with a six-hour fast today.
He says the pandemic has hit everybody and so people want to remember the names, faces and lives of the victims, adding that those who died are greatly missed and won't be forgotten.
Ecumenical service commemorates those who died in French Polynesia's Covid-19 pandemic Photo: supplied
Mr Fritch also said people are proud of those who tried to help others and are contributing to overcoming the pandemic.
With hospitals at capacity, a further 64 nurses and doctors have arrived from France, including two psychiatrists and two psychologists to support medical staff.
Last week, 84 medical personnel arrived in Tahiti, and tomorrow 44 firefighters and military employees are due to arrive to assist in the vaccination campaign.
One of the main unions says the demand for more medical help is still such that France should provide a field hospital with 25 beds for patients needing reanimation.
The French National Assembly will meet this week and is expected to vote for an extension of the state of emergency in overseas territories, such as French Polynesia, until mid-November.
Daily case numbers are no longer being made public, with estimates suggesting the incidence of Covid-19 is about ten times higher than in mainland France.
The virus has spread to at least 45 of French Polynesia's islands and so far, half the eligible population has had at least one jab while about 40 percent have been fully vaccinated.
The new law, adopted at the end of last month, is being challenged in France's highest administrative court.
A lockdown has been extended until September 20 in most of the territory, but the French High Commissioner noted that there were too many incidents of individuals flouting the rules.
In the most populated islands an eight-hour nightly curfew is in place.
