What the papers say – March 6

The first recorded death in the UK of a patient with the Covid-19 illness caused by the coronavirus leads most of the nation’s Friday front pages.

The Sun, Daily Express and Metro all say the patient who died is believed to be a 75-year-old British woman.

Meanwhile The Independent and the i report the woman already had underlying health conditions when she caught Covid-19.

“Social distancing measures” could be enforced to help curb the spread of the virus, according to the Daily Mirror.

Along with Covid-19 coverage, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian also lead on a British judge’s ruling that the ruler of Dubai “orchestrated the abduction of his two daughters – one from the streets of Cambridge”.

The Daily Mail and The Times say British ministers were accused of helping Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum “get away with” the abduction of Princess Shamsa in 2000.

Elsewhere, The Financial Times reports on Flybe chief Mark Anderson’s comments that the budget airline collapsed after Virgin Atlantic “declined to inject more money” into the struggling carrier.

And the Daily Star says scientists have found “evidence of life on Mars” following the discovery of molecules on the planet that also occur in mushrooms.