The establishments will thus close three hours earlier than usual.

After meeting the businessmen this evening to discuss the issue of security in the Largo Vitorino Damásio area and surrounding Jardim de Santos, Luís Newton (PSD) explained that the purpose of bringing forward the closing time of the establishments is to create conditions to support the work of the PSP and ensure that there are no “gatherings from 02:00”.

“[…] The easiest way to create these conditions is to ensure the closure of establishments from an hour before these gatherings. [The entrepreneurs] made themselves available to carry out a pilot [test], to experience that this intervention only makes sense if it counts with the involvement of the PSP and thus facilitates its action, in the context of maintaining public order and avoiding gatherings." said the mayor.

According to Luís Newton, the authorities should create a delimited area from 23:00, because, he clarifies, “it is a time when there are still no large gatherings” and “which substantially facilitates the action of the police”.

“We have already sent [the minutes signed by 14 entities] to the Metropolitan Command [of Lisbon], as soon as the meeting ended and we obtained consensus and the signature of all businessmen in the area”, he said, adding that the police will have more “ease in controlling the management of accesses and prohibiting the possibility of gatherings”.

To Lusa, Luís Newton said that the municipality will provide a team of inspectors to control the closure of spaces in the area.

“This is, above all, an experimental measure to try to understand if a solution of this nature is effective. The truth is that we continue to witness daily gatherings, situations of conflict on public roads and that have even resulted in injuries”, he warned.

Highlighting the “act of civic sense” of the businessmen, after having suffered from a drop in turnover in the last year and a half, Luís Newton argued that with more dispersed people it is “easier to maintain public order”.

According to the president of the Estrela Parish Council, “three or four” thousand people have gathered in the area.

In recent weeks, Lisbon has registered situations of violent crime in the context of nightlife, namely in Bairro Alto, Cais do Sodré and Santos, with stabbings.

The gradual lifting of restrictions due to vaccination against covid-19 started on August 1st, with rules applicable throughout the continental territory, including the limit of closing time until 02:00 for restoration.

These relief measures included the reopening of bars and other beverage establishments “subject to the restaurant rules”. Bars that refuse to operate within the catering rules and clubs remain closed until October.