PM Modi's January 2022 visit to UAE postponed amid Omicron surge in India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been postponed amid the surge of Omicron cases in India. The visit was scheduled to take place on January 6, 2022. The visit is likely to be rescheduled now, according to sources.

The ties between India and UAE has grown since PM Modi's visit to the UAE n 2015. In 2016, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, visited India. He again visited India in January 2017 as the Redupic Day chief guest. At that time, the bilateral relations were upgraded to 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership'.

In February 2018, PM Modi visited UAE for the sixth World Government Summit in Dubai, where India was the guest of honour. The Prime Minister visited again in August 2019 to receive 'the Order of Zayed, UAE's highest civilian award.

Over 3.3 million Indian working in UAE has played a key in overall cultural and people-to-people ties between the two nations.

Omicron spreads across the world

The Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa, has created havoc across the world, especially Europe and the United States. The COVID-19 cases have also seen a surge due to fast-spreading Omicron. On Monday, UAE had reported 1,732 fresh COVID-19 cases and one death. 

In India, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's Wednesday morning update, there are 781 cases of Variant of Concern (Omicron) in India. Delhi accounted for the highest number of cases (283), followed by Maharashtra (167), Gujarat (73), Kerala (65), Telangana (62), Rajasthan (46), Karnataka (34), Tamil Nadu (34), Haryana (12), West Bengal (11), Madhya Pradesh (9), Odisha (8), Andhra Pradesh (6), Uttarakhand (6), Chandigarh (3), Jammu and Kashmir (3), Uttar Pradesh (2) and one each case in Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur and Ladakh respectively.

Image: PTI