BBC News

Newspaper headlines: 'Virus heroes' honoured as 'lockdown looms again'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionThe Daily Mail calls the Queen's decision to include frontline workers - including doctors, nurses and "unsung heroes" - in her Birthday Honours a "salute to those who tackled the pandemic". It quotes Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the awards show the UK is "caring, compassionate and resolute".
image captionThe key workers are called "Britain's virus heroes" on the front page of the Daily Mirror, which praises those "souls who went the extra mile in a crisis". The story is accompanied by a picture of England footballer Marcus Rashford, who has become an MBE, applauding - and sits below a preview of the Britain's got Talent final.
image captionA woman screams into a phone on the front page of the Times, which offers readers a "six-month survival guide" on "how not to burn out this time" under coronavirus restrictions. In its coverage of the Birthday Honours, the paper pays particular attention to Glasgow restaurateur David Maguire "who fed workers free of charge" and 16-year-old Theo Wride who "made personal protective equipment on his 3D printer". It reports that 72% of those honoured "worked in their communities, reflecting voluntary effort across the country".
image captionMary Berry, who has been given a damehood, beams at readers from the front page of the Daily Telegraph. The paper's lead story, though, is less joyful. It says the prime minister is weighing up whether hairdressers and leisure centres should be closed with pubs and restaurants in areas with the highest Covid-19 infection rates. It includes a quote from England's deputy chief medical officer warning that the country is "back where it was in March", with hospitals filling up.
image captionThe Guardian says the chancellor's announcement of a new furlough scheme was an attempt "to head off mounting anger... over plans for imminent new Covid restrictions". The paper says the scheme, which will see the government pay for two-thirds of the wages of employees of firms that are forced to shut by law, was "hastily arranged". And it notes that some leaders in northern England called it "an insult".
image captionThe Daily Express interviews a man urging readers to "stick to the government's safety rules" after his 82-year-old father died following a positive test result. Gordon McPherson contracted the virus after his "first outing to a pub since March to watch football", the paper reports.
image captionAnd the Daily Star breathes a sigh of relief that the panto season has been "saved" by National Lottery chiefs. A picture of a smiling panto dame accompanied the headline: "Heigh-ho! It's off to work we go."

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