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New Delhi:
No foreign dignitary will attend this year’s Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest due to the coronavirus pandemic, the foreign ministry said today. “Due to the global COVID-19 situation, it has been decided that this year there will not be any foreign head of state or government as the chief guest for our Republic Day event,” ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to be the chief guest this year. But he cancelled his visit following the spread of a highly infectious mutant strain of the virus that has affected thousands of people in the UK.
The notification from his office came earlier this month, hours after he announced a fresh lockdown in the United Kingdom.
On Saturday, India will roll out the two Covid vaccines that received approval earlier this month. One crore health workers across the country and two crore frontline workers will be administered the vaccine initially. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the vaccine via video conferencing at 10.30 am.
The government has been concerned over a tractor rally planned on the Republic Day by farmers protesting against the contentious farm laws. In an application to the Supreme Court, the government contended that he rally, if held, will cause “embarrassment to the nation”.
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