UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson not coming to India for Republic Day

UK PM Boris Johnson called PM Modi and regretted that he would have to cancel his visit to India because of the serious Corona Virus related situation in the UK.

Johnson was invited to take part in the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 as a chief guest.

"The prime minister spoke to Prime Minister Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned," a Downing Street spokesperson said.
“In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus," Johnson told PM Modi.

Last month, the government had announced Johnson's intention to visit India as part of efforts to speed up talks on trade, with Britain in search of new bilateral deals after leaving the European Union.

But Britain's COVID-19 crisis has since worsened with surging cases and hospital admissions at a new high, fuelled by the spread of a more transmissible variant of the virus. 

"The prime minister said that he hopes to be able to visit India in the first half of 2021, and ahead of the UK`s G7 Summit that Prime Minister Modi is due to attend as a guest," the spokeswoman said.

Johnson had on Monday ordered England into a new national lockdown to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm parts of the health system before a vaccine programme reaches a critical mass.

The announcement came just hours after the government hailed Britain's success in becoming the first country to begin rolling out the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca against COVID-19.

Johnson said a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus first identified in the United Kingdom and now present in many other countries was spreading at great speed and immediate action was needed to slow it down.

"As I speak to you tonight, our hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than any time since the start of the pandemic," Johnson said in a televised address to the country.

"With most of the country already under extreme measures, it's clear that we need to do more together to bring this new variant under control," he said.

"We must therefore go into a national lockdown, which is tough enough to contain this variant. That means the government is once again instructing you to stay at home."

Non-essential shops and hospitality would have to remain closed, while primary and secondary schools would close from Tuesday for all pupils except vulnerable children and those whose parents are key workers.

(With Reuters inputs)