The government will allocate €1 million to bar owners and clubs to help them in the current challenges, the prime minister announced on Thursday afternoon.

The announcement came a day after the government said that bars and clubs will be kept closed until February 1 as a COVID-19 precaution.

@Maltagov will allocate €1m to bar owners & clubs to assist them in facing the current challenges – details will follow in the coming days – RA

— Robert Abela (@RobertAbela_MT) December 31, 2020

They have been shut since the end of October, when the government introduced restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19.

It was initially planned that the venues would be able to reopen at the beginning of December. But  just days before that deadline, Robert Abela had announced the closure would be extended to the end of the year to limit the spread of the virus. 

At the time, Abela had said the decision had been taken following consultation with Health Minister Chris Fearne and other experts in public health.

On Tuesday, Times of Malta reported business owners’ concerns as they remained unsure when they will be able to start serving patrons once again. 

In his tweet on Thursday, Abela said details of the new assistance would be announced in the coming days.