The Papers: \'Menu of options\' to fight \'killer bug\'

Newspaper headlines: 'Menu of options' to fight 'killer bug'

By BBC News Staff
The Times 6 March
Image caption A glamorous shot of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at an event in London last night is juxtaposed with the news of the UK's first coronavirus death on the Times' front page. The paper reports that medical officials have drawn up a "menu of options" to delay the spread of the virus.
Daily Express March 6
Image caption The news of the patient's death is plastered across the front page of the Daily Express - along with the same photograph of Prince Harry and Meghan, who it says "sparkle in the reign". Above its lead story on coronavirus, a red box tallies up the number of British cases, which now stands at 116.
Metro 6 March
Image caption In a similar vein, the Daily Express also leads on the death of the patient - a woman in her 70s - while also finding room for the picture of the royal couple, whom it says were "back for [the] first time since Megxit".
The Sun 6 March
Image caption The Sun stresses that the woman had neither been abroad nor had contact with other patients, so had "picked up the bug in Britain".
Daily Mirror
Image caption The Daily Mirror dubs coronavirus a "killer bug", and laments that Coronation Street has been "hit" by the outbreak, noting that an actor "is self-isolating after returning from abroad".
Daily Telegraph 6 March
Image caption A red banner draws readers of the Daily Telegraph to "Sport's coronavirus crisis", warning that there could be a Premier League "fan ban" within "weeks". Its top story leads on the announcement that patients with mild cases of coronavirus "will be told to stay at home" to ease pressure on the NHS.
The Guardian 6 March
Image caption The Guardian adopts a somewhat military tone as it says the government "escalated its response to the threat" by announcing that anyone returning from Italy should self-isolate and that some patients should be treated at home.
i 6 March
Image caption The i splashes a picture of a woman walking past a green NHS coronavirus "pod", where people who believe they may be suffering from the virus can speak to medical staff. The paper reports that half of cases in the UK are "most likely to occur in a three-week period".
Financial Times 6 March
Image caption There's an international take on the front page of the Financial Times, which says the US has "hit out" at counties for introducing export barriers to stem trade in medical supplies. Peter Navarro, a senior US official, tells the paper: "In a global public health emergency, the US is alone."
Daily Mail 6 March
Image caption A picture of the Duchess of Sussex linking arms with her husband dominates the Daily Mail's front page as the accompanying headline says: "Look who's back to say goodbye." Its lead story focuses on the "scandal" involving the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. A court found him responsible for the abduction and forced return of two of his daughters.
Daily Star 6 March
Image caption And the Daily Star says the question David Bowie put to the world back in 1971 can finally be answered, because scientists now "have evidence of life on Mars". Researchers have discovered "molecules on the planet that also occur in mushrooms", it reports.

Several sketchwriters in today's papers have taken a clear liking to the man leading the charge against coronavirus: the UK's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty.

Quentin Letts of the Times views him as "just a bit of a star": the "mild-mannered Englishman" needed in every disaster epic, who "calmly" and modestly explained the facts to the House of Commons health committee. For the Guardian's John Crace, he's "the country's de facto prime minister". Crace praises Prof Whitty's "command of his subject and ability to communicate it".

The Independent online says regulators have told healthcare workers they will be allowed to break normal rules on patient treatment to meet the "highly challenging" coronavirus outbreak. It says the move seeks to reassure NHS staff that they won't be sanctioned for acting outside of normal procedures - including delaying patients who would normally be admitted to hospital.

The San Francisco Chronicle features dramatic images of a National Guard helicopter dropping off virus testing kits to a cruise liner that's been held off the California coast with more than 140 British passengers on board.

Image copyright Reuters
Image caption A cleaner sanitises an empty classroom in Turin

The i suggests the closure of schools in Italy because of the outbreak has plunged the country into a "childcare crisis". It says working parents are struggling to cope, as they're reluctant to rely on grandparents to look after their children because of "fears about exposing the elderly to possible infection".

According to the Daily Mail, UK officials are said to be considering advising against all travel to Italy.

HuffPost reports that US President Donald Trump used a Fox News interview to suggest that many people with mild symptoms "could still go to work and get better" - defying the advice from medical professionals that patients should self-isolate. The Daily Mail says President Trump later took to Twitter to deny making such a remark.

Image copyright Getty Images

The papers have their first chance to react to the collapse of Flybe - and the finger-pointing has begun.

For the i, it was "the result of years of poor management, poor government policy and the greed" of the airline's rivals. The Sun describes the carrier as "operating on a wing and a prayer" and says it was right that the taxpayer was not relied upon to rescue it. The Financial Times agrees; adding that the government should give "short shrift" to other firms that seek bailouts when the coronavirus pushes them to the brink.

Image copyright AFP
Image caption Queen Elizabeth and Sheikh Mohammed (file photo)

The Guardian suggests that "ministers, police and prosecutors are under pressure" to take action against Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, after the High Court ruled that he orchestrated the abduction of his two daughters - "one from the streets of Cambridge".

The Times points out that the case highlighted "extraordinary claims about some of the region's most powerful families" and "could cause significant diplomatic difficulties with Britain's allies in the Middle East". For the Financial Times, it's "embarrassing for the man who has overseen Dubai's development into the area's trade hub".

Sheikh Mohammed's legal team has rejected the claims against him and insists the court heard only one side of the story.

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said by the Times and Financial Times to be facing his first Commons rebellion next week over his decision to allow Huawei to play a role in the UK's 5G network. A group of senior Conservatives - including the former Cabinet ministers Iain Duncan Smith and David Davis - are said to be seeking legislation to ban the use of all Huawei equipment after 2022.

And it's "one giant leaf for mankind", according to the Sun: lettuce has been successfully grown in space. The salad crops, cultivated on the International Space Station, were found to be free of disease and even more nutritious than ones grown on Earth. The paper suggests it's the "tip of the iceberg" for finding foods to fuel manned missions to Mars.