The mayor of Capri has ordered a halt to the arrival of tourists due to a water emergency.
Paolo Falco said that without a water supply it was impossible to guarantee essential services to the “thousands of people” who travel to the island daily during the tourist season.
“The health and hygiene situation is explosive, we have taken our countermeasures and activated the crisis unit and issued a restrictive order,” the mayor’s statement said.
The emergency was caused by a failure in the mainland’s water system that provides vital supplies to the island.
At the moment there is still a water supply in most of the island, but some isolated areas of the upper municipality of Anacapri are already dry. Only local reservoirs supply the network, which, in the absence of supplies from the mainland, could run out.
Meanwhile, tanks are expected to reach the island to support essential services, pending the restoration of full supply.
The mayor’s order was given shortly after 9am, causing an immediate stop to ticket sales.
The move has created long lines of passengers at the ticket offices at the ports of the southern city of Naples, the departing point for most ferries to Capri.
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Ferries and hydrofoils that had already departed for Capri were contacted by radio by the maritime authorities, who ordered their return to port and the disembarkation of passengers.