Iran releases two Chinese women quarantined on suspicion of carrying coronavirus - UPDATED

Iran has released two Chinese women quarantined on suspicion of carrying the novel coronavirus and has no known cases, Report informs, deputy health minister, Alireza Raeesi says.

The Health Ministry has asked the government to ban all non-essential travel to China, while 70 Iranians living in Wuhan, mostly students, are expected to return next week, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

The two women were treated in the eastern province of Tabriz after arriving from neighboring Azerbaijan, IRNA reported on Thursday. But Raeesi said the women had influenza B and had been released.

The virus, which originated in Wuhan, has spread across the globe and claimed more than 200 lives.

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Iran has quarantined two Chinese women suspected of carrying the deadly coronavirus, Report informs citing the IRNA.

The women, ages 37 and 36, were quarantined in the eastern province of Tabriz after arriving a day earlier from neighboring Azerbaijan, it said.

The disease, which originated in China, has spread across the globe and claimed at least 170 lives.

The number of patients with pneumonia in China caused by the 2019-nCoV coronavirus reached 9,390 people, 213 of them died.