Dharamsala: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is travelling to the US this month for medical treatment of his knees and there will be no public engagement during the visit, his office said here on Monday.  

This has been the first visit abroad of the globetrotting monk since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was detected in December 2019.

“There will be no engagements, including public audiences, of His Holiness from June 20 onwards until further notice,” an official statement said.

“His Holiness the Dalai Lama is scheduled to travel to the United States for medical treatment of his knees. Upon his return to Dharamsala, regular engagements will resume,” it added.

His last visit to the US was in June 2017. At that time, apart from public engagements, the Dalai Lama visited the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for his routine annual medical check-up. IANS