Forex Trading For Beginners 2021: Covid: Indian delegates in UK for G7 talks self-isolate after Covid cases

G7 meeting: Home Secretary Priti Patel Bilat (right) with Subrahmanyam Jaishankar from India. Home Office.

The entire Indian delegation in the UK for G7 talks must self-isolate after two Covid cases were detected.

India's foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar pulled out of face-to-face talks, saying he was "aware of exposure to possible Covid positive cases".

He met Home Secretary Priti Patel in person on Tuesday but will now join the rest of the meetings virtually.

India is not in the G7 group of nations but delegates from the country were invited as guests.

The two cases were picked up by tests in advance and none of the party had attended the meeting venue, the Press Association said. Mr Jaishankar has not tested positive.

The G7 group - the world's seven largest so-called advanced economies - is made up of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.

The official summit made up of G7 leaders is taking place in Cornwall next month, but ministers are currently in the UK for talks.

The talks this week are the first face-to-face meetings the G7 powers have had in more than two years.

India, Australia, South Korea and South Africa have been invited as guests as the UK tries to deepen ties with the Indo-Pacific region.

What is the G7 and what does it do?

On Tuesday, Home Secretary Ms Patel met Mr Jaishankar and tweeted a picture of them wearing masks as they handled folders, saying it was "a pleasure" to welcome him as new trade and investment deals were signed.

It is understood that because strict social distancing was maintained, PHE has decided those in the meetings do not need to self-isolate.

A pleasure to welcome @DrSJaishankar to the @UKHomeOffice today as we signed the landmark Migration & Mobility deal as part of our New Plan for Immigration, providing new opportunities for our young people to live and work here and in India as we recover from the pandemic.

🇬🇧🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/AWWorBRDze
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) May 4, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

Everyone else attending the G7 talks will continue to be tested daily.

A senior UK diplomat said they "deeply regret" Mr Jaishankar would not be able to attend in person.

"[He] will now attend virtually, but this is exactly why we have put in place strict Covid protocols and daily testing," the diplomat added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference with India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following a bilateral meeting in London on May 3, 2021, during the G7 foreign ministers meeting.

On Wednesday Mr Jaishankar said: "Was made aware yesterday evening of exposure to possible Covid positive cases.

"As a measure of abundant caution and also out of consideration for others, I decided to conduct my engagements in the virtual mode.

"That will be the case with the G7 meeting today as well."

Boris Johnson said he would have a "Zoom exchange" with Mr Jaishankar later, adding that the relationship between India and the G7 nations was "very important".

The meeting on Wednesday is between foreign ministers, who were greeted by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab with elbow and fist bumps in the courtyard of Lancaster House in London.

Britain"s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab welcomes South Korea"s Foreign minister Chung Eui-yong at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in London, Britain

They then went to the summit room where the ministers were separated from one another by clear screens in order to minimise any risk from coronavirus.

The talks are expected to discuss new ways to ensure fairer access to vaccine stockpiles and increase support for the global vaccine distribution scheme known as Covax.

Also on the agenda on Wednesday is media freedom, arbitrary detention and girls' education.

On the news that positive cases had been found among the India delegation, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said there were questions that needed to be raised "about how this happened".

"It is a reminder of how vigilant we need to be about our borders," he said, adding: "Let's get to the bottom of how this happened - we cannot have a repeat."