The UK is seeking new commerce offers after leaving the EU however alarming rise in COVID circumstances forces change to PM’s plans.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to India scheduled for later this month, citing the necessity to oversee the COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK.
Johnson knowledgeable Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the change of plans on Tuesday, a day after asserting the beginning of a brand new nationwide lockdown in England, a spokeswoman for his workplace mentioned.
“In mild of the nationwide lockdown introduced final evening, and the velocity at which the brand new coronavirus variant is spreading, the prime minister mentioned that it was essential for him to stay within the UK so he can concentrate on the home response to the virus,” the spokeswoman mentioned.
“The prime minister mentioned that he hopes to have the ability to go to India within the first half of 2021, and forward of the UK’s G7 Summit that Prime Minister Modi is because of attend as a visitor.”
Final month, the federal government introduced Johnson’s intention to go to India as a part of efforts to hurry up talks on commerce, with the UK seeking new bilateral offers after leaving the European Union.
However the nation’s COVID-19 disaster has since worsened dramatically with surging circumstances and hospital admissions at a brand new excessive, fuelled by the unfold of a extra transmissible variant.
Underneath the brand new lockdown – the UK’s third – most individuals should work at home, faculties have closed for nearly all college students, and hospitality venues, in addition to non-essential retailers, should keep shut.
In a televised tackle on Monday, Johnson warned the UK is at “a vital second”, with circumstances rising sharply in each a part of the nation.
“As I communicate to you tonight, our hospitals are beneath extra strain from COVID than any time because the begin of the pandemic,” Johnson mentioned as he ditched his regional method to preventing the pandemic.
“With a lot of the nation already beneath excessive measures, it’s clear that we have to do extra collectively to convey this new variant beneath management.”
Greater than 75,000 folks within the UK have died from COVID-19 inside 28 days of a constructive check because the begin of the pandemic.
A file 58,784 new circumstances of the coronavirus have been reported on Monday.
Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from London, described the temper within the nation as “fairly gloomy” amid the spiralling caseload.
“Persons are actually nervous,” he mentioned. “We are going to see this entire lockdown stay in place till no less than mid-February.
“One minister prompt it might go nicely into March and even longer with a number of the restrictions. The plan will probably be to loosen up restrictions steadily, however that is going in direction of spring.”