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Licensed tour guides operating on Mount Etna have gone on strike to protest new safety restrictions introduced by local authorities following renewed volcanic activity, marking the first such action by guides in decades.
Authorities in the city of Catania imposed the measures after Mount Etna began erupting again on Christmas Eve. The rules ban excursions after dusk, require visitors to remain at least 200 metres away from active lava flows and strictly enforce a maximum group size of 10 people. Forestry police have been deployed to monitor access, with drones also used to ensure compliance.
Under Italian law, visitors must be accompanied by a qualified guide above certain altitudes on the volcano. Guides argue that the new regulations effectively prevent them from carrying out their work, particularly lava-front excursions that are among the most popular attractions.
“These measures effectively nullify the role of guides, stripping them of their skills, function and professional responsibility,” the regional board of volcano guides said in a statement.
On Wednesday, dozens of guides demonstrated near one of the main access points to the lava flows, describing the restrictions as excessive. They maintain that the current lava flows are slow-moving and can be safely observed under professional supervision, as in previous eruptions.
Forestry police stationed on the slopes reported 21 cases of non-compliance on Tuesday night, according to local media.
Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology confirmed that the eruption is ongoing but said the lava fronts are cooling and no longer advancing. Volcanologists have stated that the current activity poses no threat to nearby residential areas.
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