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Bars in downtown Lisbon see opening hours shortened to reduce noise levels

Xinhua, January 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Bars in popular night-time areas of downtown Lisbon as of Friday will have to close by 2 a.m. on weekdays and by 3 a.m. on weekends to reduce noise levels for local residents, Lisbon City Council said on its website.

The areas affected by the new rules are the neighbourhoods of Cais do Sodre, Bica and Santos, whose streets are lined with bars that were previously allowed to stay open until 4 am every night. This measure was successfully put in place for bars in the lively Bairro Alto neighbourhood in 2008.

"With a view to establishing harmony between people who live in the indicated areas and people who visit them to have fun, the Lisbon Municipal Council decided, as it did for Bairro Alto in 2008, to impose restrictions on opening house of the commercial and service establishments," the council said in a statement.

New rules will also affect opening hours for convenience stores in the areas, which are now required to close by 10 p.m. Restaurants, cafes and snack bars have to close by 2 a.m. every night and nightclubs, which have a license as a dance venue, can stay open until 4 a.m.

Additionally the city council has imposed restrictions on the sale of alcohol that will be consumed outside the establishments where it is sold due to the effect on residents of people gathered in large groups drinking in the street.

"The establishments in the indicated areas can only sell alcoholic drinks for consumption outside the establishments until 1 a.m. every day of the week, if their opening hours allow for it," the council said. Enditem