Washington DC: President Donald Trump has scrapped this year's in-person G7 summit set to be held in the US in June due to the Coronavirus crisis and will instead hold the high-profile event through video-conference, the White House has said.
The decision comes as countries around the world seal their borders and ban travel to stop the fast-spreading COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed over 9,000 lives so far.
The G7 summit is the latest high-profile event to be cancelled as anxiety over Coronavirus puts an end to political gatherings, sports events and musical festivals around the world.
In view of the ongoing Coronavirus crisis that has gripped the entire world in an unprecedented way, the G7 summit scheduled to be held at Camp David from June 10-12 has been cancelled so that leaders of these countries can devote their time and energy in addressing the public health challenge, the White House said on Thursday.
"In order for each country to focus all of its resources on responding to the health and economic challenges of COVID-19 and at President Trump's direction, National Economic Council Director and US Sherpa for the 2020 G7 Larry Kudlow has informed his Sherpa colleagues that the G7 Leaders' Summit the US was set to host in June at Camp David will now be done by video-teleconference," White House Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere said in a statement.
"The White House also informed the other G7 members that in order to continue close coordination, the President will convene the leaders' via video teleconference in April and May just as he did this week," Deere
said.