The second lockdown saw the revenues of several companies being further undermined, especially small businesses, and the wine distribution business was severely affected by the closure of the restaurants and bars.

Jorge Santos works at a company that sells wines, Jorge told The Portugal News that he works only once a week and from home, with a schedule that varies “between one to two hours”. On the remaining days, the work is done by telephone, where employees call “to some customers who are still open.” However, the number of orders is still quite small.

With the restaurants closed, the range of customers is reduced to “some supermarkets” and customers “who ask for their own personal consumption, because everything related to restaurants is closed”, the seller says.

Government support and the efforts of employees may sometimes not be enough and it turns out to be more expensive for the company to work from home because, according to Jorge going out, “costs time, fuel, money and the return is almost nothing.”

The opening of terraces after Easter is the light at the end of the tunnel for all the company employees who hope to be able to work as they always have, restoring their usual clientele, to guarantee their profits.