New Delhi, December 24: Uncertainty looms over British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's scheduled visit to India to attend Republic Day 2021 event after new strains of coronavirus have been detected in India. A top UK doctor recently said Borish Johnson may cancel his visit. While Johnson has accepted the invite, speculations are rife that the UK PM may change his decision due to the new strains of coronavirus.

Today, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reacted. Asked if Johnson's visit to India is on schedule despite the restrictions after new strains of coronavirus were detected in UK, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said: "We look forward to welcoming the British PM here." Johnson was, earlier this month, invited by the Indian government as the chief guest of the 71st Republic Day parade, scheduled on January 26.

Johnson on December 19, announced that the newly identified strain of coronavirus may be up to 70 percent more transmissible. His Health Secretary Matt Hancock had emphasized that the new variant was "out of control". On Wednesday, said that another new variant of the novel coronavirus has been detected in Britain, and two cases have been reported so far. COVID-19 Variant: Second 'More Transmissible Strain' of Coronavirus Linked to South Africa Detected in UK, Says Matt Hancock.

This new variant is "yet more transmissible" and the development is "highly concerning," he said. India has suspended flights to and from the UK till December 31. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the Chair of the Council of the British Medical Association, on Monday, told NDTV that the visit of Johnson to India may not be possible if the current pace of infection due to the mutated version of coronavirus continues in the UK.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 24, 2020 07:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).