The head of Samoa’s peak tourism body has appealed to the public to download and use its tracer app to help authorities mitigate the threat of COVID-19 infection.

Samoa Tourism Authority C.E.O. Faamatuainu Lenatai Suifua told the Samoa Observer in a recent interview that the tracer app will assist the local authorities including the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) and the National Emergency Operation Centre (N.E.O.C.) locate positive cases. 

“The tracer app will help M.O.H and N.E.O.C officials respond to pinpoint exact areas and affected persons if and whenever there are community cases,” Faamatuainu said.

“We should not live in fear of COVID-19, we should respect it and do our part to help reduce the spread of the virus.”

The tracer app is an initiative of the S.T.A. in partnership with the Ministry of Health (M.O.H.) to combat the rise in COVID-19 cases.

With Samoa currently in a lockdown following the increase in positive COVID-19 cases to 20, the C.E.O. believes that now is the time to use the app, given the situation that the country finds itself in.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa highlighted the importance of the tracer app in September last year when it was officially launched. 

Samoa is currently in the middle of a COVID-19 crisis after a charter flight from Brisbane, Australia last Wednesday flew in with 73 returning residents. Ten passengers tested positive to the coronavirus with another 5 cases among the travellers reported last Friday and another 5 on Monday to bring the total number of cases to 20.

However, the use of the app has had mixed reviews from the public since its launching.

A user, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the app was the only way for them to keep track of who has the virus.

“It is our only measure of knowing and tracking the virus. But in saying that, it is much better to just stay home and away from the crowds,” said the user.

Another user said leaving his phone’s bluetooth on – in order for the app to work – was unsustainable as his phone battery did not last long.

A third user said he agreed with the head of the S.T.A. on the tracer app becoming critically important during the pandemic, but he lamented the instructions written in English.

“Yes the more people on it the better but not everyone is technologically savvy and will have problems downloading it, plus most of the ads about the app are in English.” 

Faamatuainu also responded to other concerns about the app being costly and consuming too much data, saying the use of the app is free, it does not take up a lot of memory and is user friendly. 

On concerns about the app’s use of Bluetooth, the C.E.O. said getting the phone on Bluetooth mode enables it to scan other users who are within your vicinity and is at most times accurate. 

“Everyone in the community needs to do their part to help the front liners as we go through these difficult times together,” Faamatuainu said.

Since early January only less than a thousand people had downloaded the tracer app.