Newspaper headlines: England ‘on track’ to reopen and pandemic treaty plea

image captionThe prime minister has urged people to go out and “have fun” as some lockdown restrictions were eased on Monday in England, reports the Times. Boris Johnson also said there was nothing he had seen in the data “that would cause us to deviate from the road map” for reopening shops and allowing pubs and restaurants to serve outdoors from 12 April. But the PM urged people to abide by the rules and “remain humble in the face of nature”.

image captionSpeaking at a Downing Street briefing, Mr Johnson said Brits would be able to boost their resilience to Covid by taking advantage of the improving weather and getting fit in the sun. The PM said he could not wait to play tennis again after the easing of rules on Monday meant outdoor sports could resume.

image captionThe PM also used the briefing to announce that the bottling of 60 million Novavax coronavirus vaccine doses would now take place in the UK instead of the EU, reports the i. The paper says the new deal will help the UK cope with any potential vaccine export bans and other volatility in global supply chains.

image caption“We don’t need EU!” is the Daily Express’s take on the story. The paper says it ends the threat of an “EU trade war” over vaccines manufactured on the continent that are exported to the UK.

image captionBut the Daily Mail says the PM is facing calls to lift lockdown faster as Covid infections, hospital cases and deaths hit a six-month low. The paper notes that four NHS regions – covering 29 million people across southern England – reported no deaths on Sunday, with just 23 fatalities logged elsewhere.

image captionMeanwhile, Mr Johnson and other world leaders, including France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, and German chancellor Angela Merkel, have called for a global settlement similar to that formed after World War Two – to protect states in the wake of the pandemic. In an article for the Daily Telegraph and other European newspapers, they caution that the virus has been a “stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe”.

image captionIn other news, the Metro reports that the trial into the death of American George Floyd heard the policeman accused of his murder knelt on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds and didn’t get off even when a medic found no pulse. Officer Derek Chauvin also threatened to spray mace at an off-duty woman firefighter who offered the 46-year-old medical help, jurors heard. Mr Floyd’s death sparked protests in the US and across the world against police brutality and racism. Mr Chauvin, 45, denies murder and manslaughter charges.

image captionThe Guardian leads on a call for allegations of sexual misconduct in schools to be investigated by Ofsted as part of an inquiry to establish why complaints by pupils of rape, harassment and assault are not taken seriously. Conservative MP Maria Miller, who oversaw a report into the issue in 2016, said the schools watchdog needed to look at the data it’s been collecting to see why the situation has not improved for children.

image captionElsewhere, Mr Johnson’s remarks that he acted with “honesty and integrity” in his dealings with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri make the lead for the Daily Mirror. The paper says the prime minister faces an investigation over claims he gave her special treatment. Ms Arcuri has previously told the paper they had an affair.

image captionTwo of the world’s biggest investment banks have warned of large losses after their client, Archegos Capital Management, carried out a “fire sale” of Chinese and US stocks, reports the Financial Times. The paper says profits at Nomura could be wiped out for the second half of the financial year, while Credit Suisse said the wave of selling might have a “highly significant and material” impact on its first quarter results.

image captionAnd finally, the Daily Star has what it calls the “best news ever” – or bad news if you happen to be footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. According to a survey reported on by the paper, women prefer dad bods to “gym gods”. Another biscuit, anyone?, the Star quips.