“Some municipalities [in the region] have not yet given this indication, but it is understandable, as the Government announced on Thursday, the eve of holidays and Easter, the plan that continues the lack of definition. It is natural that this information will be made available throughout the week”, said Fernando Sá.

According to the official, "after three months at home, and having worked only half a year in 2020, marketers live in the hope that the resumption of activity will allow them to face the losses they suffered, which are high".

However, he stressed, "it is necessary to take into account that the country is going through great economic difficulties".

The date for the reopening of fairs and markets for the sale of non-food products, the holding of which has been suspended since January 15 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was announced on March 11 and reaffirmed on Thursday by the Government, but the measure is subject to municipal authorization, similar to what already happened in the first lockdown, in 2020.

According to the president of AFMRN, “the marketers could no longer take this downtime, which was longer than the one in the first lockdown, which lasted for almost two and a half months, causing quite painful situations for the families who live off this activity”.

The Federation of Associations of Fairkeepers also estimates that, as of today, around 2,500 markets and fairs will be held every month and calls on municipalities to exempt marketers from paying fees.

"In the great majority of municipalities, everything is prepared, on the part of mayors, so that from the 5th of April the reopening of the markets of non-food products will happen, not expecting that there will be intransigence of the municipalities", told the president of the National Federation of Associations of Fairkeepers (FNAF), Joaquim Santos to Lusa.