British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has scaled down the duration of his trip to India later this month because of the COVID-19 situation in the country, his spokesman said on Wednesday, adding he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We’ve been in close contact with the Indian government about the PM’s upcoming visit in light of the COVID situation in India. As a result of these discussions the prime minister has made the decision to reduce the length of the visit,” he told reporters.

“This programme will be focused on high level discussions with the Indian government and Indian business leaders,” he said, adding that the bulk of the programme would now take place on April 26.

This is the UK Prime Minister’s first major international trip after Britain's exit from the European Union.  The UK government said it would "tilt" its focus towards the Indo-Pacific region as part of its

Integrated Review of government policy for the coming years, saying the area increasingly represented the geopolitical centre of the world.

Johnson had planned an Indian trip in January as part of efforts to speed up trade talks between the two nations but was forced to cancel amid a surge of Covid-19 infections at home.

At the time, his office said he had hoped to rearrange the visit before Britain hosted the meeting of leaders from the Group of Seven rich nations in June, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to attend as a visitor.

Last month, Britain made a formal request to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), seeking membership of the 11-country bloc to open new avenues for post-Brexit trade and influence.

It has also applied to become a dialogue partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).