Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Brussels for the India-European Union (EU) Summit, which was supposed to be held on 13 March, has been rescheduled in view of the coronavirus outbreak, said Raveesh Kumar, official spokesperson for Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, 5 March, during a press conference.
“The meetings will be rescheduled to a mutually convenient date, which is yet to be decided,” he added.
On Wednesday, at least two staff working for the EU administration in Brussels have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and are receiving treatment, European officials said.
One case, a man working at the European Defence Agency (EDA), had returned from Italy on 23 February .
The second, who works in security for the European Council, is thought to have been infected in Brussels after having contact with the first man.
The Belgian health ministry said that any cases reported in the EU Brussels agencies would be counted in the Belgian figures as they track the spread of the virus.
There have been 23 cases in Belgium, 10 of them reported within the last 24 hours. Nine of the 10 new cases are people recently returned from Italy, the worst-hit of European nations so far.
The European Commission has launched an emergency plan to help member states coordinate the response to the virus and help in mass purchases of protective equipment.
(With inputs from PTI)
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