The Papers: \'Shut down\' cities warning as UK virus cases jump

Newspaper headlines: 'Shut down' cities warning as UK coronavirus cases jump

By BBC News Staff
Metro Monday
Image caption The outbreak of coronavirus leads many of Monday's newspapers, after the number of UK cases jumped to 36 over the weekend. The Metro focuses on comments made by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who said it was inevitable that Covid-19 would become "endemic" here - and 500,000 deaths was a "reasonable worst case scenario".
Daily Express Monday
Image caption The government's plans to tackle the outbreak - which will be published later this week - feature on the front of the Daily Express. If the virus escalates, cities could be placed under lockdown, large gatherings could be banned, schools closed and people urged to stop using public transport, the paper says.
The Sun
Image caption The prospect of UK cities being put into lockdown - which has happened in China, where the virus outbreak originated - also features on the front of the Sun. On Sunday, Health Secretary Mr Hancock was asked about whether whole cities could be quarantined and he replied: "We don't take anything off the table."
The Guardian
Image caption The Guardian points out that one of the latest cases to be diagnosed in the UK - a patient from Essex - is now the second person to test positive without having recently been abroad. This suggests the country is "edging closer to the point where containment becomes impossible", the paper says. The main picture is of migrants at Turkey's border with Greece, after Turkey is no longer stopping Syrian migrants leaving for Europe.
The i Monday
Image caption The jump in UK cases has prompted some leading scientists to warn the country is moving into the "next stage" of the outbreak, the i newspaper reports. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine, said although the number of cases involving people who have not travelled remains low - even a couple of such cases indicates community spread.
Daily Mail
Image caption Health officials are "desperately trying" to find people who may be spreading the virus unwittingly, the Daily Mail says. These "coronavirus carriers" may only have mild symptoms and not know they are infected, the paper adds. It says the south-east of the UK is "in the front line" with outbreaks in Essex, Surrey and West Sussex.
The Times Monday
Image caption The Times reports Boris Johnson is promising that the government will "stop at nothing" to fight the spread of the virus, as he prepares to chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Monday. The paper says ministers have "drastic measures" lined up if the virus spreads further, including the prospect of millions of workers being asked to work from home.
Daily Telegraph
Image caption The prime minister's response to the virus also makes the front of the Daily Telegraph, which pictures Mr Johnson during a visit to a Public Health England laboratory in north London on Sunday. The paper says he has indicated the situation could get worse before it gets better.
Financial Times
Image caption Italy's decision to bring in measures worth 3.6bn euros (£3.10bn) to deal with the economic impact of the outbreak is the focus in the Financial Times' top story. Italy is so far the country in Europe that has been hit worst by the coronavirus. In Rome, tax credits are being introduced for companies that report a 25% drop in revenues, the paper says.
Daily Mirror Monday
Image caption The Daily Mirror leads with a report into the UK's probation services, which were part-privatised in 2014. Since then, the paper says, 309 people have been killed by offenders who were being monitored by private probation firms. The Ministry of Justice said it was bringing all probation services back into the public sector from December 2020, and has 800 new probation officers in training.
The Daily Star
Image caption The front page of the Daily Star reports on the sentencing of a man in Aberdeen, who bit a police officer. According to the paper, the judge in the case decided that because offender was not wearing his dentures - and so the bite did not cause any injury - he should not get a jail term.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak features heavily on Monday's newspaper front pages.

"Find the hidden virus carriers" is the headline in the Daily Mail, which says UK health officials are desperately trying to locate those who are unwittingly spreading the coronavirus.

The paper adds: "At last, Boris stung into action", as it reports on the prime minister's plan to chair his first Cobra meeting on the coronavirus.

The paper says that criticism of his decision to delegate the management of the crisis to the health secretary has been mounting - prompting Mr Johnson to break cover yesterday and don a yellow biohazard suit during a visit to Public Health England's laboratory in north-west London.

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption The PM visited the Public Health England National Infection Service after UK cases rose to 36

The recent developments - with the number of UK cases now totalling 36 - lead the Guardian to suggest the country is "edging closer to the point where containment becomes impossible".

In its coverage, the Daily Telegraph reveals Downing Street and the Department of Health are involved in a row about whether Britain will retain membership of an EU pandemic warning system, previously used to stem the SARS and bird flu outbreaks.

According to the Telegraph, the government's trade negotiators do not want to do anything which risks giving Brussels leverage to demand alignment with EU rules.

Image copyright PA Media
Image caption Health Secretary Matt Hancock said no tactics to fight the virus would be "off the table"

The outbreak is also creating a potential headache for the Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

The Times reports the Office for Budget Responsibility is expected to revise its economic forecasts because of falling stock markets - leaving Mr Sunak guessing as he plots his first budget.

Floods heartbreak

The misery caused by flooding is summed up in one picture which appears in several of the papers.

It shows a bungalow in Snaith in East Yorkshire being engulfed by the River Aire - only the roof, which is bedecked with solar panels, is clear of the water.

Image copyright Getty Images
Image caption Severe flooding has devastated homes across the country, including in Snaith, East Yorkshire

The owners tell the Express they are heartbroken because the property will need to be demolished.

The Daily Mail says that anger at the prime minister's failure to visit the flooded areas is growing - and in an editorial the paper urges him to "put on his wellies".

Meanwhile, the papers give a mixed response to the dramatic resignation of the Home Office's top civil servant, Sir Philip Rutnam - amid claims the Home Secretary Priti Patel, has bullied staff.

"Good riddance" says the Sun - accusing Sir Philip of turning on Ms Patel who, it says, is determined to deliver big changes to the immigration system.

Image copyright Getty Images/BBC
Image caption Tensions had been reported between Priti Patel and Sir Philip Rutnam

For the Times though, the episode raises "troubling questions for the government about its approach".

It urges ministers to work with civil servants and existing institutions rather than waste energy trying to overthrow them all at once.

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The Daily Mirror leads with an investigation into what it calls the "probation scandal".

Using a Freedom of Information Act request, it has analysed the performance of probation firms in the six years since the system was part-privatised by the then-Conservative Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling.

It found a total of 309 people had been murdered by criminals monitored by the private firms - far outnumbering the 196 killed by those managed by the National Probation Service.

The paper notes the private companies manage about 150,000 medium and low-risk offenders, while the publicly run service is responsible for 106,000 high-risk criminals.

The Ministry of Justice says it is bringing all offender management back under the public sector's probation service from December.

Troops in Mali

The Telegraph reports that Britain is sending 250 troops to northern Mali in west Africa to spearhead the UN's fight against the world's fastest growing Islamist insurgency.

The paper describes the deployment as the UK's first significant return to an active war zone for more than five years.

Image caption Nigeria Special Forces practising marksmanship skills under the direction of British troops

Meanwhile, the Financial Times says a British project which was once hailed as a "totem" of post-Brexit Britain has lost its way.

It says the plan for a new sovereign satellite navigation system has been delayed for at least six months.

The FT puts this down to disagreements about scope and spiralling costs.

Wine surplus

According to the Times, there are 70,000 bottles of wine in the cellar of a prestigious Chateau in Bordeaux, which nobody seems to want to drink.

It reports that French winemakers are struggling in the face of US tariffs, a slowing Chinese market, the disruption caused by the coronavirus and an unprecedented supply of grapes in California.

That is creating pressure for a big cut in prices to avoid a collapse in sales.

And finally, the Daily Mail has the story of a DIY novice from Hampshire who relied on YouTube to build a dream five-bedroom house.

It says Graham Harley, an IT worker, managed to build the property in Ringwood for just £140,000 pounds, with the help of the video tutorials.

The only drawback was the project took 10 years to complete. Asked whether he would do it again, he tells the paper he could not put his family through it.