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June 21st.
"Don't steal our summer," cries the Daily Mail, as it reports on the prime minister's admission that "we may need to wait" for the lifting of all Covid restrictions in England, currently planned for 21 June, because of the Indian variant. Business leaders and hospitality chiefs warn this would be "devastating" for the economy - adding that traders could go bust if social distancing were kept for longer than necessary.
A masked Boris Johnson, arms folded, appears on the front of the Daily Express. It - like the Times - believes the decision "hangs in the balance".
The i's political editor, Nigel Morris, thinks a delay "could have more impact on national morale than the Cummings onslaught on his old boss".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-57277286
Comments
This one is firmly the fault of Boris, who once again tried to appease people by playing both sides against the middle.
His refusal to Immediately stop all flights from India, always meant that this was going to happen. Thousands took advantage of the 72 hour window, coming from a place where the variant was killing people faster than they could keep tally.
I have supported all the previous measures as I felt that it was right to do so, even though I did not agree with all of them.
NOT THIS TIME THOUGH, you poke something too often you're gonna get attacked.
The whole country should just reach June 21st and ditch social distancing, go where they want, do what they want with whoever they want and let the system sort it out.
Don't pay the fines, don't attend the courts and don't co operate and watch the police and courts grind to a halt.
We can call it "The Summer of F*** You BoJo". This is your own personally created sh1tstorm, you deal with it, we're off to the beach to barbie and drink.
Boris will get hammered by the Tory Party, a large group of his own MPs, as well as the opposition parties, and a huge swathe of the electorate.
Many businesses are set to reopen, people have booked weddings etc.
Failing on this get Boris up to his neck in it.
The front pages reflect concern about rising numbers of Covid infections from the variant originating in India.
The Times says ministers are discussing contingency plans that could mean only a partial end to the lockdown in England on 21 June.
The paper has been told that the wearing of face masks and guidance to work from home could remain in place, while priority would be given to the end of the "one metre plus" distancing rule and the "rule of six" indoors.
According to the i newspaper, people could be called up for their second dose of a coronavirus vaccine even sooner than the accelerated eight-week interval, in a race to stay ahead of the variant.
It says NHS guidance to vaccination centres says they can be "pragmatic" in offering the second jab ahead of the official timescale.
The Cambridge professor whose argument against a herd immunity strategy helped trigger the first lockdown tells the Guardian about the risks of easing restrictions next month.
Professor Sir Tim Gowers warns that "things will get bad very, very quickly" after 21 June if the government has misjudged factors such as the spread of new variants.
He says: "The downside of being a bit more cautious is quite a lot smaller than the downside of getting it wrong."
The Daily Telegraph understands that the committee advising the government on vaccinations, the JCVI, is to insist that Boris Johnson makes a political decision on whether to give the jabs to under-18s.
The paper says the JCVI is expected to set out "options and consequences" rather than take a stance on the issue.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-57290569
Writing in the Observer, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggests plans to lift restrictions on 21 June are at risk because he says government ministers are distracted by what he calls "melodrama, civil war and covering their own back".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-57296743
Stop moaning - it was a nightmare finding a beach holiday on the green list'.
https://video.dailymail.co.uk/preview/mol/2021/06/07/5203301590568618212/964x580_MP4_5203301590568618212.mp4
Another 5,683 positive tests were recorded across Britain today, up 68 per cent on last Monday's count (left). Just one death was recorded - but fatalities are known to lag weeks behind cases because of how long it takes for infected patients to fall severely ill. Hospital admissions have crept up by 16 per cent in a week. MailOnline analysis today showed the Indian 'Delta' variant is now dominant in more than 200 of England's 300-plus council areas (middle), compared to the 102 authorities it had taken a hold of the week before. Bolton and Blackburn are the two parts of the country worst-hit by the mutant strain. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said today that No10 had 'always expected' cases to rise when the main lockdown ended in May - which they did last week, alarming scientists. They added that ministers will 'look very closely at the data over this coming week' to check hospitals aren't being crippled again, before pressing ahead with any decision on June 21. No10's statement came amid growing calls for June 21's lockdown-ending to be postponed, with Downing Street's former chief scientific adviser today saying the Indian variant meant restrictions should continue for a few weeks and jabs be rolled out to teenagers as soon as possible. Sir David King, who held Sir Patrick Vallance's role for eight years before stepping down in 2008, said the data was 'in now' to show plans to ease restrictions must be pushed back 'right away'. Boris Johnson is pictured right, campaigning today in Chesham, Buckinghamshire .
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9660939/Covid-cases-spike-68-5-683-positive-tests-Indian-variant-dominant-200-areas.html