Portugal’s health authority (DGS) has updated Covid rules for bars and discos. Clients are no longer required to wear masks but must provide proof of a negative test at the entrance.
Mask wearing will remain mandatory for employees, however.
The new rules also state that bars and discos must respect the maximum capacity they are allowed, according to the current legislation, and post the number in a location that is visible to the public.
To enter bars and discos and other “drinking establishments without entertainment and establishments with dancefloors”, clients must present a digital certificate obtained from a negative test or recovery from Covid-19 or “another form of proof of a laboratory test carried out with a negative result”. Vaccination certification is not enough.
Employees, suppliers and other service providers are not required to present the above-mentioned certificates or proof of a negative test, DGS says.
The health board adds that bars and discos can turn customers away “if they show symptoms compatible with Covid-19” and should provide hand sanitiser dispensers at the entrance to the premises and in “other convenient locations inside”.
Nightlife establishments must also ensure that all surfaces are regularly and adequately cleaned and disinfected and ensure that indoor areas are well ventilated, “preferably via natural ventilation” – in other words, by keeping doors and windows open.
