SYDNEY, March 5 (Reuters) - Australia will ban the arrival of foreigners from South Korea and conduct enhanced screenings of travellers 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. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Kim Coghill)