India added to England’s Covid travel ‘red list’ on Friday

India will be added to England's travel "red list" from Friday, as cases of the UK variant continue to grow.

According to British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, India will be added to the "red list" from 4am on Friday, adding that the move had been taken on a “precautionary basis”.

This decision means that most travel from India will be banned for the foreseeable future, with only British citizens allowed into the country, after a prescribed quarantine period.

In addition to this, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday cancelled a planned trip to India, scheduled to take place next week, due to the current coronavirus situation in India.

"In the light of the current coronavirus situation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not be able to travel to India next week," a joint statement from the British and Indian government, released by Johnson's office, said.

"Instead, Prime Ministers Modi and Johnson will speak later this month to agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership between the UK and India."