Australia bans travellers from South Korea in bid to slow coronavirus

Australia will ban the arrival of foreigners from South Korea and conduct enhanced screenings of travelers from Italy to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.

Morrison said Australia will also extend the travel ban on foreigners arriving from mainland China and Iran.

"It affords the best protection and enables us to slow down the rate of transmission," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.