US President Biden will travel to India, confirms White House

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 5

US President Joe Biden will travel to India as scheduled on Thursday, the White House has announced.

The White House cleared the air onBiden’s travel plans on Tuesday a day after it said his wife and the US first lady Jill Biden had tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms.

The White House on Monday while announcing that the First Lady had Covid, made no mention of Bidens’ travel plans. This had led to speculation that if Biden is unable to make it to the G20 summit, US Vice President Kamala Harris may be the replacement for the G20 summit as she will be in Jakarta till Thursday for the ASEAN summit.

The White House has said Biden had tested negative and would continue to be monitored. This positive infection for President Biden, 80, comes at a time when he is scheduled to travel not only to India for a G20 summit, but to Vietnam as well for a path-breaking visit by a US President.

Jill Biden’s infection announcement coincides with a spike in Covid cases in the US due to new virus variants. Over 15,000 Covid hospitalisations were reported in the US during the week ending August 19, a nearly 20 per cent increase from the previous week, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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