FILE PHOTO: People wearing masks walk in Changi Airport, following the coronavirus outbreak, in Singapore March 5, 2020. REUTERS/Edgar Su

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore will deny from Monday entry or transit to visitors who have been in Italy, France, Spain or Germany in the last 14 days, as part of measures to control the fast-spreading coronavirus, the health ministry said on Friday.

The southeast Asian travel hub, which also advised against non-essential travel to the four countries, will immediately halt docking by cruise ships, it added.

Singapore has a similar ban in place for travelers from Iran, South Korea and China, where the virus first surfaced late last year.