(REUTERS): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called off his visit to the UK to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit next month because of the coronavirus situation in the country, country’s foreign ministry said late on Tuesday.
“While appreciating the invitation to the Prime Minister by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attend the G7 Summit as a Special Invitee, given the prevailing COVID situation, it has been decided that the Prime Minister will not attend the G7 Summit in person,” the ministry said in a statement.
US President Joe Biden is expected to join other leaders at a G7 summit chaired by Britain’s Johnson in Cornwall, southwestern England, on June 11-13.
The move came days after Modi called off a planned visit to the Portuguese city of Porto to participate in the India-EU Summit on May 8. The meeting was subsequently held in a virtual format.
Modi has been criticised for allowing huge gatherings at a religious festival and holding large election rallies during the past two months even as cases surged. India’s seven-day average of daily infections hit a record 390,995 on Tuesday, with 3,876 deaths, according to the health ministry.
