What the papers say – March 4

Measures to counteract the spread of the coronavirus are once again the dominant subject across the nation’s newspapers on Wednesday.

The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and the i lead with the Government warning employers to expect one in five workers to be off sick due to the coronavirus.

The Daily Express says Britain is on “full alert” over the virus, while the Daily Mail sums up the response to the outbreak with the headline: “Life on hold for three months”.

Hospitals have been told to see as many patients as possible via video calls, according to The Times.

Murder inquiries could be put on hold if police numbers are affected by the outbreak, according to The Guardian.

The Sun and Metro lead on the fact the Queen presented awards at an investiture ceremony on Tuesday while wearing gloves as a precaution.

The Financial Times says coronavirus concerns have led the US Federal Reserve to cut interest rates by half a point.

And the Daily Star has a humorous take, reporting on Boris Johnson’s “Dad’s Army” plan of drafting in retired NHS workers to help combat the disease.

The only non-coronavirus lead comes from the Daily Mirror, which says the Crown Prosecution Service will review its handling of the assault charge against the late TV host Caroline Flack.