Singapore (VNA) - Singaporehas expanded its entry restrictions to bar visitors who have travelled to the Republic of Korea, Iran or northern Italy within the past 14 days.

The measureis among the additional precautions Singapore is taking to prevent the spreadof the COVID-19 outbreak.

With theban, Singaporeans, residents and long-term pass holders who have been to theseepidemic-hit areas in the past 14 days will be allowed in, but must go intoself-quarantine for 14 days.

Singaporeanshave also been advised to defer non-essential travel to Iran, northern Italy,the RoK and Japan where cases have spiked.

At checkpoints, travellers entering Singapore who havea fever or other symptoms of respiratory illness may be required to undergo acoronavirus swab test. Thetest results could take between three and six hours. Those who test positive forthe virus will be taken to hospital in an ambulance.

As a negative result does not completely rule out the possibility of infection, those tested negative shouldcontinue to minimise social contact and seek medical attention should symptomsnot improve over the next three days.

As of March 4 morning,Singapore has confirmed 110 infected cases, of which 78 have fully recovered and beendischarged.

Meanwhile, theHealth Ministry of Indonesia has said it will assign its regional labs to testpeople suspected of carrying the novel coronavirus amid concerns that it hasnot been proactive enough in detecting infected people to prevent its spread.

The ministry previouslyinsisted that only its Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes) beauthorised to conduct throat swab tests and announce the result.

Thepolicy change was made after Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo announced on March 2 that two Indonesians had been diagnosed with the COVID-19.

Thepatients, a mother and her daughter from Depok City, are believed to have contracted thevirus after the latter interacted with an infected Japanese patient who visited Jakartalast month.

Indonesia will now test not only those showingCOVID-19 symptoms and having recently traveled to affected countries such as China, the RoK and Iran but also those having hadcontact with coronavirus-positive people even though they show no symptoms.

The country has only tested samples of 155suspected cases, two of which have come back positive./.