Nightlife sector announces it will reopen on June 21 in Catalonia

Nightlife will return to Catalonia on June 21, just days before the Sant Joan celebrations, as announced by the sector on Friday.

Clubs will be able to remain open until 3.30 am and social distancing will not be required at the dancefloor. 

A capacity limit of 50% will be placed on venues, and 100% for outdoor spaces.

Consumption of drinks will only be allowed while seating, a measure which nightclubs fear will force them to add new tables and chairs, effectively reducing the capacity to approximately 30% of the total.

The number of people allowed to sit at the same table will be subject to the same restrictions as bars and restaurants, with six people maximum in indoor areas, and ten people allowed to gather outdoors.

Tickets must be purchased in advance and all people entering a nightclub will have to provide contact details so they can be contacted in the event of a coronavirus outbreak.

Large nightclubs with an area surpassing 500 square meters must fence off dance floors to reduce the entry points.

Ramon Mas, the secretary-general of the Nightclubs' Guild in the Barcelona metropolitan area, says the sector is "happy" after making the "first step," but hope that Covid-19 rules will be further relaxed in the future.

Catalan authorities have committed to revising the measures in place every two weeks.

With Catalonia surpassing five million vaccines administered on Friday, and coronavirus figures reaching their lowest levels since last summer, authorities remain hopeful that economic sectors most affected by lockdown measures can soon reopen.