Virus delays U.N. nuclear treaty meeting, possibly till August

The treaty is the world's most widely ratified nuclear arms control agreement, with 191 participating countries

A coronavirus surge has upended plans to hold a major nuclear treaty conference at the United Nations, with participants agreeing Thursday to postpone the meeting just days before its scheduled start.

After nearly two years of pandemic delays, delegations from around the world had been scheduled due to converge on U.N. headquarters on Tuesday to take stock of the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty, a pillar of nuclear arms control.

But organisers are now penciling in an August 1 start date for the already long-delayed conference, according to an email Thursday from the U.N. disarmament office to entities involved.