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Newspaper headlines: Tests for ‘killer virus’ in Britain and HS2 report
The latest updates on coronavirus feature on the front pages of many newspapers. The Daily Mirror says the UK is on “red alert” amid fears the infection has spread from China. Six people in the UK – believed to be Chinese nationals – are having tests for the virus, the paper says. And it quotes one expert who says they suspect “there will probably be many more cases in the UK”.
The Daily Mail suggests there may be a seventh suspected case, at the Hillingdon Hospital in west London – although Public Health England refused to comment. The paper says universities in the UK are on alert for students and staff who might be returning next week after travelling to China for New Year celebrations.
Meanwhile, the Times reports that the number of people in Britain who have been tested for the virus stands at more than a dozen. The Times says it understands Public Health England has ruled out the virus in five patients – but tests on nine others were continuing. The paper adds that health chiefs fear it is only a matter of time before a case is confirmed in Britain.
The Metro says the patients being tested for the infection in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Belfast are being kept in isolation. It will probably be several days before diagnoses can be given, it adds.
Meanwhile, the i newspaper says at least one of the suspected cases is a student in Edinburgh. There are currently 120,000 Chinese students enrolled in the UK, the paper says, and experts say the new outbreak is the worst since Sars in 2003.
The Guardian leads on a report published on Friday about the controversial rail project HS2. The report, from the public spending watchdog the National Audit Office, says the reason the rail line is late and billions of pounds over budget because the government failed to understand the risks involved. The NAO says it is “impossible to estimate with certainty” how much it will end up costing.
There’s a striking image on the front page of the Daily Telegraph of a masked police guard at a Beijing railway station, as fears continue over the Chinese coronavirus. But the paper’s top story is on the latest crime figures. It says the chances of a theft resulting in a charge have halved, and four police forces brought no charges at all for personal theft in three months. Theft was effectively being “decriminalised”, the Criminal Bar Association warned.
The Daily Express reports that hopes of a speedy trade deal with the US after Brexit have been boosted, after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested a deal by the end of the year was an “absolute priority”. And in another boost for Brexit, the withdrawal agreement bill has become law after receiving royal assent from the Queen, the paper adds.
The Sun reports claims from a teenager that Love Island contestant Mike Boateng – who is a police officer – approached her while in his uniform and suggested he “show her a good time”. The teenager made a formal complaint to the police force and an investigation was begun. Boateng denies wrongdoing. He said he resigned to go on the show and spoke to the chief constable who “left the door open for me to come back”.
Friday’s Daily Star focuses on rock star Ozzy Osbourne, after he revealed his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease earlier this week. The paper suggests he could lose his ability to sing his hits, “scuppering his plans to hit the road for a series of gigs with Black Sabbath”.
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