Hotels and tour operators in Fiji that welcome tourists must all become Care Fiji Commitment Certified by the COVID-19 Risk Management Taskforce.
The Care Fiji Commitment Certification will be the industry standard for COVID-safe tourism.
It will require all hotels and excursions to meet the highest standards of comfort, health and safety.
Permanent Secretary for Health Doctor James Fong says their engagement has been to the point where the tourism industry is paying for somebody to write the COVID-safe protocols and training programs.
Tourism Fiji CEO Brent Hill says they have engaged a third party – Aspen Medical to develop the program.
It has been announced that hotels must guarantee access to comfortable, well-supplied isolation facilities and medical care such as testing, routine staff-swabbing and escalation protocols in the event that positive cases are detected by private medical practitioners affiliated with these businesses.
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says hotels are required to make the arrangements and bear the costs of all COVID-19 testing.
Bainimarama adds hotels must also employ Wellness Ambassadors who will take on the responsibility of managing and monitoring these protocols as well as training staff.
These ambassadors must undergo training through a programme run by the Ministry of Health and Medical Services in conjunction with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Bainimarama stresses that all of these measures will be checked during the certification process and regularly enforced thereafter.
He adds breaches will cause hotels and tour operators to be shut down.
Bainimarama also confirms that travel-safe areas will include all of our outer islands, the entire Coral Coast, Taveuni, Kadavu and all of the North.
He says, unfortunately, these are some locations with low vaccination coverage.
The Prime Minister says for the sake of their residents, these areas are being deemed “no-go zones”.
He adds that means no tourists are allowed.
