PM Modi will not attend G7 summit in person due to prevailing COVID-19 situation: MEA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend the G7 Summit in person in view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of External Affairs said 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,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Tuesday.

The UK has invited Australia, India, South Korea and South Africa as guest countries to this year’s G7 being held from June 11 to 13.

The G7 comprises Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

India has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases in the second wave of the pandemic. The country reported 3,29,942 new infections in the last 24 hours, according to Union Health Ministry.