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Newspaper headlines: Double jab for football matches and PM's crime 'blitz'

By BBC News
Staff

Published
image captionFans are set to be banned from football stadiums unless they have received both vaccine doses, the Sunday Mirror reports. The paper says the government is finalising plans to force supporters to produce vaccine passports. The rules would apply to games in the Premier League down to League Two, the Mirror adds.
image captionThe Sunday Telegraph says the proposal - expected to be signed off by ministers - is likely to be extended to autumn rugby internationals, major concerts and spectator events of 20,000 people or more as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to turn Covid-19 into a "manageable menace". There will also be a social media campaign aimed at boosting uptake among 18 to 30-year-olds, linking vaccination to the ability to go on holiday.
image captionAn emergency government plan to stop the "pingdemic" from affecting food supplies has been condemned as an "absolute disaster" that is doing more harm than good, the Observer reports. The paper says the government bowed to pressure from the food industry to exempt around 10,000 workers in the sector from quarantine rules if they tested negative on a daily basis. But several food industry leaders have told the Observer the policy was so badly handled and communicated that it has made the crisis worse.
image captionThe so-called pingdemic also resulted in airport travellers having to queue for hours on Saturday, according to the Sunday People, because of a shortage of Border Force staff. The NHS Covid app forced Heathrow staff to isolate on the busiest getaway weekend this year, with 400,000 people jetting off nationwide.
image captionIn other travel news, the Mail on Sunday reports that the "ill-fated" decision to move France onto the government's amber-plus travel list was made after Health Secretary Sajid Javid frightened the prime minister. The paper quotes a source as saying Mr Javid "overreacted" to claims the AstraZeneca vaccine might not work against Beta variant, which has been found in the country.
image captionThe Sunday Express says every crime victim will be given a named police officer they can call or email about their case as part of a plan set to be unveiled by the prime minister. The paper says Mr Johnson is also promising a crack down on county lines drug gangs, adding that he will reveal details of his "Beating Crime" plan on Tuesday.
image captionThe Sunday Times reports that private schools have been accused of taking advantage of disruption to A-levels caused by the pandemic by lobbying top universities and medical schools to take pupils whose performance is too weak to qualify for a place. Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council, confirmed some schools had sent pleading letters on behalf of pupils who had dropped a grade, and urged others to do the same. Because A-level grades have been awarded this year by teachers, schools can see which pupils have missed out on places at Oxbridge and medical schools.
image captionAnd finally, the Daily Star says fans of sparkly white teeth have had the smiles wiped off their faces due to a shortage of tooth whitening kits in the UK. The paper says it hopes celebrities, reality stars and the odd football boss will survive the "crisis".

"A game of two jabs" says the Sunday Mirror, reporting on government proposals to only allow fans who are fully vaccinated against coronavirus to watch professional football matches in England.

The paper says the plans would apply to the Premier League champions down to the bottom of League Two, "raising fears of financial meltdown" at some struggling clubs.

The Sunday Telegraph says the measure is likely to be introduced in early October and could be extended to the autumn rugby internationals as well as mass events with more than 20,000 spectators.

It suggests it's part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's efforts to turn Covid into a "manageable menace".

Some of the front pages focus on the continued impact of self-isolation rules on certain sectors.

The Sunday People says thousands of people at Heathrow Airport faced queues of up to three hours yesterday, in part due to staff shortages.

The paper sums up the situation with the headline "holiday border farce".

image copyrightReuters

The Observer says the government's emergency plan to stop the "pingdemic" from affecting food supplies has been an "absolute disaster" which is doing more harm than good. Industry bosses say the scheme has been mishandled and poorly communicated.

The Mail on Sunday's front page says the decision to keep France on the amber travel list but require people returning from the country to quarantine - even if they've received both Covid jabs - has left the "cabinet at war".

A source has told the paper Health Secretary Sajid Javid "overreacted" to claims the AstraZeneca vaccine might not work against the Beta variant of the virus.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is also said to be frustrated he wasn't at the meeting when the decision was made.

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The Sunday Times reports on accusations that private schools have been taking advantage of the disruption to this year's A-levels, caused by the pandemic.

Some schools have been sending begging letters to top universities on behalf of pupils who haven't performed well enough to qualify for a place, even before exam results are published.

The paper quotes the director of admissions at the University of East Anglia, Richard Harvey, as saying state schools rarely try this tactic, but describes letters from private schools as "the most beautiful piece of prose... crafted by someone with two PhDs".

He goes on to say he believes few universities would be swayed by such a move, as competition is currently so ferocious.

More than a hundred actors, writers and film makers have signed a letter in the Observer calling for Radio 4 to keep its Film Programme, arguing if the show were to go, it would leave a "massive cultural hole".

The BBC has not made an announcement, but sources have said the series is to end. Signatories include Benedict Cumberbatch, Liam Neeson and Rosamund Pike.

And the Daily Star Sunday says the UK is facing a shortage of teeth whitening kits, calling the problem a "fangdemic".

Experts fear some people might turn to dangerous hacks shared on social media, which could cause serious medical problems.

Helpfully, the paper has provided a cut out smile with a sparkling white set of teeth that it says "any reality star would be proud of".