While there are still no confirmed or probable cases of novel coronavirus in Alberta, the province is asking additional travelers to self isolate.

Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided another update on COVID-19 on Monday.

She says they are asking anyone who has returned from visiting Iran in the past 14 days to voluntarily isolate themselves, even if they are feeling well.

"Self isolation means staying home, it means avoiding work, school, social events, or other public gatherings," says Hinshaw. "We expect only a very small number of people will need to isolate themselves. This is a new step and one we do not take lightly. We are following the approach that is being adopted across Canada and we are acting out of an abundance of caution, which has been Alberta's approach all along."

Hinshaw says they've taken this step because many of the most recent cases of COVID-19 in Canada have been identified in travelers returning from Iran and that the virus appears to be spreading at a high rate in that country.

It's estimated that approximately 700 people are returning to Canada from Iran each week. Hinshaw says most of them are going to provinces other than Alberta.

Those who have recently visited Iran are advised to call Health Link at 811 for further details on self isolation.

The only other travelers that are being asked to self isolate at this time are those returning from China's Hubei province. Travelers returning from several other areas are asked to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. Those areas are: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Italy.

Hinshaw says the current focus remains to test those at the highest risk of having been exposed to the novel coronavirus. To date, the province has conducted 173 tests, with all of them coming back negative for COVID-19. Hinshaw says some of those tested positive for other viruses including influenza.

27 cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Canada. 18 of those are in Ontaria, 8 in B.C., and 1 in Quebec.

In the United States, there have been 91 reported cases and 6 people have died from the virus.

"The recent developments in the United States are also concerning, with community transmission of COVID-19 identified in Washington state. No specific measures are being recommended in Alberta at this time in response to that information, but we are working closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada to assess this emerging situation. If additional steps are needed, we will take them," says Hinshaw.

The advice from the province remains to practice safe hygiene habits such as frequently washing hands and staying home when sick. Hinshaw says the province will continue working to ensure the health system is ready to respond should Alberta see a confirmed case of the coronavirus.

Anyone with travel plans is advised to closely monitor the advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The latest information on COVID-19 in Alberta can be found HERE.