Closed since March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, clubs in Portugal could be on the verge of reopening. The government plans to free up nightlife entertainment establishments as a way to encourage vaccination among younger people.
Responsible for coordinating the response to the pandemic in the Lisbon region, State Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs Duarte Cordeiro said “it is already time to think openly” about reopening the sector, which was in the process of being shutdown for over a year. .
“I tend to think that the moment [de reabertura das discotecas e bares] it should coincide with the time when vaccination is available for those over 18: we would introduce this measure because young people would go after the vaccine to have a freer social life. It was an incitement which I think would make perfect sense, ”he said in an interview with Público newspaper and Renascença radio.
Two weeks ago, Portugal decided to subject entry to internal restaurant areas – as well as check-ins in hotels and other tourist accommodation – to a full vaccination or presentation of a recent negative test for Covid -19.
In the case of restaurants, the measure is currently only valid on weekends, in cities with a high number of cases. Currently, the list includes Lisbon, Porto and several of the country’s top tourist destinations.
For tourist accommodation, the requirement is in effect, every day, throughout Portugal.
Duarte Cordeiro, however, gave no deadline for the resumption of nightlife. He said this is a movement that “has to be absolutely consensual”, which can only happen “when we achieve concrete vaccination goals”.
After months with the pandemic under control, Portugal is experiencing a fourth wave of infections, driven by the spread of the delta variant, which is already responsible for 95% of cases in the country.
As of Tuesday (20), 64.37% of the country’s population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 46.4% have a full vaccination.