Bars losing €300 million per month

Portugal’s bars are losing around €300 million per month because of Government Covid-19 restrictions according to the Movement for Reopening Bars.

It says that if bars are not reopened, the sector will face closures and job losses and pent up demand will only encourage uncontrolled clandestine drinks parties, making the spread of the virus even more likely.
Dinheiro Vivo reports that the nation’s bars have been shut since 12 March and still don’t have a set reopening date from the Government.
With no reopening date on the horizon, and the Prime Minister himself not expecting a return to normal any time soon, bar owners are calling for the same rights as restaurants in being able to operate providing they take the necessary sanitary and social distancing precautions.
The Movement for the Reopening of Bars (MAB) has sent a letter to the Prime Minister calling for the urgent reopening of traditional bars — closed since 12 March – and an audience to present the sector’s concerns over the impact of months of closure which “is affecting thousands of people financially and in terms of employment”.
The spokesperson for the new movement, Maria João Pinto-Coelho (from the Bar Procópio) said that the measures laid down by the Directorate-General of Health are all good and well to ensure the safety and health of Portuguese bar customers.
However, she says a blanket ban is not the solution to the problem of contagion that seems to be getting worse with the onset of summer.
Instead, the MAB is calling for the regulated reopening of bars as has been seen in other European countries and adds that the Government must urgently set a date for their reopening.
“We’re seeing losses of around €300 million a month and we’re expecting many establishments shutting down altogether,” she says.