Newspaper headlines: UK ‘plans October booster jab’ and pub passport ‘fury’

image captionThe UK is planning to offer a booster jab in October to protect against newer strains of Covid, reports the i newspaper. It also says drive-through centres will be created for under-50s next month to improve uptake among younger people.

image captionThe Guardian claims some government insiders believe making Covid certificates compulsory for entry into pubs could help tackle vaccine hesitancy among young people. The paper says one senior source predicted a “stark” fall in uptake when the jab is offered to lower age groups.

image captionPlans for people to demonstrate they are “free of Covid” with a mobile phone app has sparked “fury”, according to the Daily Mail. It says the software would provide a virtual coronavirus certificate and allow people to go to pubs with no social distancing. However, the paper adds that hospitality bosses have branded the idea “unworkable”.

image captionFrench President Emmanuel Macron saying that the European Union is to blame for “botching” its own vaccine rollout is the lead in the Metro, which describes it as a “startling confession”. The paper adds that he praised America’s ambition but “could not bring himself to praise the UK’s own successful vaccine gamble”.

image captionThe UK’s vaccination programme will be completed in time – despite the EU paving the way to block jabs, the Daily Express suggests. It says Downing Street has confirmed the country is still on track to vaccinate all adults by the end of July.

image captionIndia has dealt a blow to the global rollout of Covid vaccines after it banned exports to prioritise its own vaccinations, reports the Financial Times. The paper claims the largest vaccine manufacturer in the world – the Serum Institute of India – has been told to halt exports for two to three months.

image caption“Tell us why they died”, is the headline in the Daily Mirror, which says grieving families have joined calls for Boris Johnson to set a date for an inquiry into the “mishandling” of the Covid crisis. The paper claims the prime minister is “stalling” on giving a date.

image captionThe Daily Telegraph focuses on the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson condemning the “threats” that a teacher faced after being suspended for showing a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad. The paper quotes Mr Williamson as saying the protests outside a West Yorkshire school were “completely unacceptable”, adding that teachers were allowed to expose pupils to “challenging or controversial” issues.

image captionThe same story also makes the front of the Times, which says the school has apologised over the “inappropriate” image shown during a religious studies class this week. It reports that crowds gathered outside Batley Grammar School to complain about the image, which parents said had been taken from the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

image caption“We’re gonna need a bigger digger” declares the Daily Star, which says the world held its breath “as a bloke in a digger” tried to move a vessel stuck in the Suez Canal. “We wish him the very best of luck… he’s going to need it”, the paper adds.