A senior tourism official in Fiji is calling for a freeze on hire purchase and loan repayments during the Covid-19 crisis.
Photo: RNZ Pacific
Thousands of Fijians have been sent home or put on reduced pay.
The director of Pacific Destinations, James Sowane, has warned of the social cost to the nation.
He said the worst-case scenario was when mums and dads were at home when the bailiff arrived to repossess their goods.
Then there were those with mortgages, he said, who could lose their homes.
Mr Sowane said when parents could not feed their family or keep their home, they would be forced to make some very difficult decisions.
He urged banks, retailers and financial institutions to act sensibly.
Fiji recorded its fifth Covid-19 case on Wednesday.