Newspaper headlines: 'Back in the pub garden' and 'final lockdown' call

BBC NewsStaff
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Pub gardens could reopen in time for Easter, the Mail on Sunday says

Several of the papers claim to know how and when the lockdown in England will be eased.

The Sunday Telegraph's headline predicts: "Picnics and coffee in the park from March 8". The paper, quoting a senior government source, says meeting a friend for a coffee on a park bench and outdoor picnics will be the first activities to get the green light, with golf and tennis following shortly afterwards.

The Mail on Sunday's headline declares: "Back in the pub garden for Easter!" According to the paper, Number 10 plans to allow the hospitality industry to lift its shutters, most likely on 30 March or the following day.

In a break from pre-lockdown rules, the paper adds, the 10pm curfew and the requirement to have a substantial meal with alcohol will be abandoned. No more Scotch egg nonsense, as the paper puts it.

"Back to school in three weeks" is the Sunday Times headline. It says all pupils will return to classes on 8 March. A cartoon shows parents jumping for joy at the news, with the caption reading: "Parents get the results they were hoping for."

According to the Sun on Sunday, Boris Johnson will announce today that the government has reached its target of offering a jab to the top four priority groups, a day ahead of schedule.

It says that after a tough few days of miserable news on Covid variants and family holidays, it's the pick-me-up that everyone needs.

For the Sunday Mirror, the milestone is a Valentine's Day gift from the NHS to a lockdown-weary country.

The Sunday People describes it as a turning point in the battle against coronavirus. It's a striking achievement, in the words of the Observer.

The Sunday Times says "world-beating" is a term that has been bandied around a lot during this pandemic - including by the prime minister, often inappropriately. But in this case, it is right.

What the government must now show, the Sunday Telegraph believes, is where all this is headed. It says the logical benefit of vaccines is not only saving lives, but to ease the lockdown as soon as the vulnerable are sufficiently protected.

For its lead, the Sun on Sunday says the television presenter, Amanda Holden, has been reported to police after breaking lockdown rules by travelling more than 200 miles to see her parents in Cornwall.

Her parents' neighbours apparently alerted the authorities. The paper says she made the trip from her home in Surrey on Friday after receiving a "distressing phone call" from her 75-year-old stepfather.

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Amanda Holden said she broke lockdown rules to visit her parents after a "distressing phone call"

A spokesman for Amanda Holden tells the paper she has adhered to Covid rules every step of the way and is devastated she had to break them on this occasion to deal with a very personal situation.

The Sunday Times says that when Boris Johnson revealed his dream of building a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, it was derided for being too fanciful.

But under proposals submitted to a review ordered by Mr Johnson to improve links between the four UK nations, the rail industry is putting forward a proposal to build a tunnel under the Irish Sea.

The Sunday Telegraph says it would be the same length as the Channel Tunnel and could possibly be nicknamed "Boris's burrow".

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Donald Trump's acquittal by the US Senate comes as little surprise to the papers. For the Observer, it was the least surprising moment in American politics since his last acquittal just over a year ago.

But it thinks the world's dictators and autocrats will take heart from what it calls "this travesty".

It says Myanmar's generals might be forgiven for asking: "Why is your insurrection so much more excusable than ours?"

The Sunday Times says that in the end it came down to party politics. If a president cannot be found guilty after triggering a riotous invasion of the Capitol building, it's hard to think what would do it, the paper adds.

Finally, if we're all going on a summer holiday, the Sun on Sunday reports that Sir Cliff Richard has advertised his Barbados villa on AirBnB.

The paper says the sprawling mansion sleeps 10 guests and boasts a tennis court, a swimming pool and a bar, and is set in nearly three acres of sun-kissed land. But it's not cheap, at £3,000 a night, and there are strict house rules: no pets, parties or smoking.

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