Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in January 2022 has been postponed in view of the surge in the number of Omicron cases across the globe and the risks involved in international travel at the time.

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According to media reports, PM Narendra Modi was scheduled to visit UAE on January 6, 2022, and was expected to meet the top leadership during his trip. The trip is being rescheduled due to the rise in Omicron cases in the world, and the visit may be pushed to February.

Previously published reports had mentioned that PM Modi would visit the India Pavilion at the Dubai Expo, which is a massive 4-floor pavilion that has showcased India's culture, Yoga, Ayurveda to Space programme. The visit was also scheduled at a time when the two nations are looking at celebrating 50 years of their diplomatic ties.

The India Pavilion at the Dubai Expo was inaugurated by India's trade minister Piyush Goyal and has been visited by many foreign leaders including by Cyprus Foreign minister and the King of Sweden.

According to sources, the visit is most likely set to be scheduled for February, if the Omicron situation in both countries improves. Currently, the Omicron cases in a lot of countries are increasing rapidly, putting a halt to international travel in many areas.

India has also decided to tighten its international travel guidelines in view of the spread of the variant in European countries. Many states have decided to impose night curfews in their jurisdictions due to the COVID-19 surge being experienced in the country.

The highest number of Omicron cases in India has been reported from Delhi and Maharashtra. According to the latest data available, the number of cases of the new variant is set to cross the 800 mark in India soon.