The Papers: ‘Change of strategy looms’ as France locks down

image captionA “change of strategy” is looming according to the i, which says the prime minister is under pressure to introduce a “fire break” lockdown across England after figures suggest almost 100,000 people a day are becoming infected. There are fears families may be unable to celebrate Christmas together without action because cases are now doubling every nine days, the paper adds.

image caption“Don’t do it Boris!” is the headline for the Daily Mail, which says business leaders, campaigners and MPs are warning another lockdown would “wreak economic carnage”. It came as scientists said up to 85,000 could die in a second wave of the virus, the paper reports.

image captionThe Guardian says the government is trying to find alternatives to a national lockdown, as new research suggests the south of England is following the same pattern of rising cases as the north. The paper says it has seen a letter from NHS Test and Trace suggesting up to 10% of England’s population could be tested for coronavirus every week after government officials asked local health chiefs to deploy 30-minute saliva kits.

image captionThe Daily Express warns of a “Covid cancer time bomb”, with delays in cancer testing meaning 50,000 people have the disease but are undiagnosed, according to campaigners. Experts say this number could double in the next 12 months if referrals and screening do not catch up, the paper reports.

image captionThere is more positive news on the front page of the Times, which reports that the government believes a German vaccine backed by Pfizer could be ready to distribute before Christmas. The paper says the UK has already bought enough doses for 20 million people and is anticipating some will be available for use immediately if the drug is shown to be successful – with the first doses earmarked for the elderly and vulnerable.

image captionMeanwhile, the Daily Telegraph reports that France is entering another national lockdown, with President Emmanuel Macron warning Europe was being “over-run” by a second wave which would be “harder, more deadly than the first”. Measures include the closure of non-essential shops, along with bars and restaurants, while people are being told to stay at home unless they have documentation showing why they need to go to work or make other journeys.

image captionGermany is also moving to shut down parts of its economy, with restaurants, bars and most public entertainment to close and tougher restrictions on socialising to be brought in, the Financial Times reports. The paper says the surge in coronavirus cases in Europe is hitting markets, with the region-wide Stoxx 600 index falling 3% and London’s FTSE 100 closing down 2.8%.

image captionThe Metro front page carries pictures of four members of a Kurdish-Iranian family who died in the Channel when the boat they were travelling on sunk – as well as their 15-month-old boy who is still missing. The family sold everything they had to pay people smugglers £21,600 to get them to the UK, the paper reports.

image captionThe Daily Mirror leads with a story about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who have paid tribute to Kate Garraway, whose husband has spent months in hospital with coronavirus. Prince William is said to have told the TV presenter, who the pair met on a visit to a London hospital: “If it wasn’t for social distancing we’d give you a hug.”

image captionThe Daily Star carries comments from EastEnders actor Danny Dyer, who the paper says has won “huge public backing” after saying “real people” should run the country rather than the elite.