Italy's government vowed Tuesday to re-nationalise the bankrupt former flag carrier Alitalia to make sure crises like the coronavirus pandemic never strand its compatriots abroad.
The announcement fell on a national holiday that Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte seized to rouse Italians' sense of patriotism during their gravest emergency since World War II.
COVID-19 has officially killed 2,503 people in Italy -- 32 percent of the world's reported total -- and forced the nation of 60 million to enter its second week under a virtual lockdown that has imperilled the livelihoods of millions.
"Our country has faced thousands of difficulties, world wars, the Fascist regime," Conte told the nation.
"But the Italian people have always known how to get back up and start over with pride and determination," he said.
"Never like now has Italy needed to be united."
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