Newspaper headlines: 'Drastic shutdown' as UK reaches 'critical point'
By BBC News Staff
Published
image captionThe Daily Express looks ahead to Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing new local coronavirus lockdown rules for England. It says the "drastic new shutdown" aims to "save the NHS" and "halt the second wave" of the pandemic. But it says there are "fears of economic meltdown".
image captionIt's "lockdown D-Day", according to the Daily Mirror. The paper reports that 85% of people who responded to a poll it conducted are "petrified" about their jobs and the future of the economy ahead of the prime minister's statement.
image captionThe Daily Mail says MPs and council leaders have pleaded with Mr Johnson not to bring "more pain and damage" to parts of the country with four-week local lockdowns that "will shatter the economy".
image captionBut the Guardian leads with warnings from No 10 that the UK is at a "critical juncture" when it comes to controlling the spread of the virus. The paper says the prime minister's statement will come after a "frantic weekend" of discussions with local leaders, who - according to its sources - have been assured that restaurants could remain open until 22:00 in Liverpool.
image captionMr Johnson is calling "last orders for the North", according to the Daily Telegraph. It's not all doom and gloom, though - below a picture of a ballet dancer in London, the paper reports that £257m in government funding has been announced to help Britain's arts sector.
image captionDancers from the Birmingham Royal Ballet grace the front page of the Times. Its top story though, also looks ahead to the restrictions - especially the strictest of the three tiers. Ministers have "decided to focus on closing 'drinking-led' establishments while allowing restaurants to remain open," a cabinet source tells the paper. Although it says there has been "confusion" after "reports claimed that restaurants may be closed with only takeaway meals allowed".
image captionThe Metro says the country is in "locktober"."Here we go again," it tells readers - above an image of police in Liverpool making sure people obey the 22:00 curfew.
image captionThe i focuses on a "travel ban" being introduced for areas under lockdown, with a "crackdown on movement in and out of Covid hotspots".
image captionA picture of the health secretary edited to wear a clown get-up greets readers of the Daily Star. Comparing him to Coco the Clown, the paper reports that Matt Hancock "faces a probe into claims he broke his own 10pm bar curfew". Over the weekend, a spokesman for the health secretary said: 'No rules have been broken".
