China to evacuate citizens from coronavirus areas of Iran: Report

China will send a chartered plane to Iran on the evening of March 3 to pick up its citizens from areas struck by the coronavirus, according to a report by Global Times, which is run by the official People's Daily newspaper.

Outside China, where the COVID-19 coronavirus first emerged, Iran is one of the countries that is worst affected by the epidemic. On Monday, Iran had reported 66 dead amid 1,501 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the Islamic Republic.

Other countries have also evacuated their citizens from Iran and banned travel to and from the country.

The United Arab Emirates evacuated on Monday its citizens from Iran as part of the country's efforts to confront the spread of the coronavirus, state news agency WAM reported.

“All the returnees have been quarantined and all regular health check-ups have been taken to ensure their safety and protection,” the agency said.

- With Reuters.