SINGAPORE  - Kuwait has barred foreign ships, except those carrying oil, from departing to or arriving from several countries to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, according to a notice seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

The notice, dated Feb. 25, has banned ships from and to South Korea, Italy, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, China, Hong Kong and Iraq.

Oil sector ships are excluded from the ban, the authorities said in a separate notice dated Feb. 25 and seen by Reuters.

(Reporting By Florence Tan, Shu Zhang and Jessica Jaganathan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman) ((shu.zhang@thomsonreuters.com; +65-6870-3549; Reuters Messaging: Twitter @shuzhang4))