The Old Normal, time for a change and booster vaccines were the issues raised by columnists and contributors in the newspapers.

The Daily Mail

Richard Littlejohn said the ‘Old Normal’ is making a comeback.

“It’s beginning to look a lot like February 2019,” he said. “Bleary-eyed commuters are trudging into their offices, some for the first time in 18 months. The end of the school holidays has sparked an encouraging return to work.”

He said the economy couldn’t survive another six months of paralysis and our city centres are already in a critical condition.

“Figures from the retail sector published yesterday showed more than 8,700 shops have gone bust this year alone, a rate of almost 50 a day,” he added.

“So congratulations to all those who defied the prophets of doom and headed back to their desks yesterday. We can only hope that millions more follow suit over the next few weeks.

“With 80 per cent of the country double-jabbed, and Covid no longer posing a mortal threat, there’s no justification for anyone still refusing to go back to work. It’s time to junk the New Normal and welcome back the Old Normal with open arms.”

The Daily Express

Ben Habib said the Government has made an art out of failing to fulfil promises.

“Boris Johnson’s Government is hooked on a diet of fear, control and subsidy to get its way,” he said. “Even after the amazing vaccination programme, he is seeking to extend the Corona Virus Act 2020, an unparalleled act in the destruction of civil liberties. Not to mention vaccine passports – remember they were never going to be introduced; well they are now!”

He said he applauded the Conservatives baulking at the increase in National Insurance but said they should be going further.

“If it is truly the breaking of promises which upsets them, they should not just be rebelling on this issue, they should be seeking a change in leadership. Indeed, they should do so for the sake of the country.”

The Guardian

Charlotte Summers, a lecturer in intensive care medicine at the University of Cambridge, said approving a mass booster programme would bring Britain in line with countries such as the United States and Israel that are already offering third doses to their vaccinated populations.

“That so many people still lack access to vaccines because of where they live is a failure of international leadership.,” she said. “This unequal situation is in nobody’s interests: high levels of transmission make it more likely that new variants may emerge that evade the protection of our current vaccines. There should be no room for nationalism during a global public health crisis.”