Medical workers work at a COVID-19 drive-through screening center in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 24, 2020.(Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)
The pandemic has been especially devastating to culture, art and shows in Portugal, and the situation will get even worse, because "these numbers can only increase exponentially in the coming weeks," according to the Association of Promoters and Shows, Festivals and Events.
LISBON, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 24,815 cultural events scheduled between March 8 and May 31 have been canceled, postponed or suspended in Portugal due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Association of Promoters and Shows, Festivals and Events (APEFE) said on Friday.
The pandemic has been especially devastating to culture, art and shows in Portugal, the APEFE said, adding that the situation will get even worse, because "these numbers can only increase exponentially in the coming weeks."
A state of emergency, the first of its kind in Portuguese history, was declared on March 18 by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. It has now been extended until April 17.
The number of shows to be canceled was determined through a survey of ticket sales companies Ticktline, Blueticket and BOL, according to the APEFE.
A screen in a restaurant shows Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa delivering a televised national speech, in Lisbon, Portugal, on March 18, 2020.(Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)
The survey reveals that 364 promoters have had to cancel 7,866 shows, postpone 15,412 and suspend 1,537 ongoing cultural and artistic events.
"This is an unprecedented crisis in the culture market in Portugal, a very serious problem of subsistence and survival for thousands of people and companies," said the APEFE.
A police officer with a facial shield questions a driver during an awareness-raising operation to people just leaving home for essential reasons as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 in Cascais, Portugal on March 29, 2020. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)
"Rock in Rio," one of Portugal's most famous music festivals, will be postponed to June 19-27, 2021, its organizer announced on Friday. This recurring event brings together the biggest names in world pop music, such as the Foo Fighters, Black Eyed Peas, Duran Duran, Post Maalone and Camila Cabello.
Another major event now postponed is the "NOS Primavera Sound" festival, which will be held in early September in the city of Porto. World-renowned artists like Lana Del Rey, Beck, FKA twigs & Tyler or the Creator were scheduled to participate.
Portugal's Ministry of Culture announced a set of measures to protect consumers and promoters from canceled shows.
File photo taken on May 17, 2019 shows a participant posing for a photo during the 14th International Iberian Masks Festival in Lisbon, Portugal.(Xinhua/Pedro Fiuza)
These measures also cover "shows not performed, between February 28, 2020, and up to 90 business days after the end of the state of emergency."
The APEFE has already asked the government for a series of measures to protect the arts sector, including the "immediate suspension of payment" of taxes and the creation of a credit line with lower interest rates.
Meanwhile, local artists have been using the internet, especially social networks, to distribute small samples of their shows, hoping that the monetization provided by these alternative methods will give the artists a lifeline.
Portugal's Directorate General of Health (DGS) announced on Friday that the number of confirmed coronavirus cases totaled 9,886, an increase of 9.4 percent over the past 24 hours. At least 246 people have died so far. ■
