Coronavirus: Singapore extends entry ban to cover Italy, Iran and all South Korea as it reports two new cases

The new measures are an expansion of earlier travel restrictions imposed on travellers from China and the Korean city of Daegu and county of Cheongdo

Also on Tuesday, Irish singer Ronan Keating was lambasted on social media for connecting the outbreak with ships seen at sea near the city state

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Travellers wearing protective face masks amid fears about the spread of the coronavirus pictured at Changi International Airport in Singapore. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:31pm, 3 Mar 2020Updated: 8:44pm, 3 Mar 2020

Travellers from northern Italy and Iran will be barred from entering Singapore from Thursday, with those who have been to South Korea also to be denied entry as the number of coronavirus cases there continues to mushroom.

The new measures came as the city state reported two fresh virus infections, and are an expansion of earlier travel restrictions implemented by Singapore: covering Hubei province from January 29; the whole of China from February 1; and most recently the Korean city of Daegu and county of Cheongdo – at the heart of that country’s outbreak – from February 26.

Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s minister for national development who co-chairs a multi-ministry task force to deal with the outbreak, said the new restrictions are a bid to lower the risk of having the virus imported to such a “small, open city connected to the world”.

Singapore residents returning from Iran, northern Italy or South Korea – all of whom have experienced a recent spike in cases – will also be issued with stay-home notices, which means they must remain within their premises at all times for 14 days.

Globally, more than 92,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus, which causes a pneumonia-like illness known as Covid-19 that has killed more than 3,100 people so far. The majority have been in China, where the virus originated, but the next worst affected are South Korea with 5,186 infections and 28 deaths, Iran with 2,336 infections and 77 deaths, and Italy with 2,036 infections and 52 deaths.