Turkey on Sunday announced it would "temporarily" close its land border with neighbouring Iran as alarm grows over a spike in new coronavirus infections.

"We have decided to shut the land border temporarily after an increase in the number of cases in our neighbour Iran," Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters. He said air traffic would be unilaterally halted from 2000 (1700 GMT). 

Earlier the same day, Pakistan temporarily closed its border with Iran at Taftan as the number of casualties from the novel coronavirus in the neighbouring country rose to eight.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove informed that the border was temporarily closed by the authorities in light of reports of coronavirus deaths in Iran. "Yes we have closed the border," Langove confirmed.

The government of Balochistan also declared a medical emergency in districts along the border with neighbouring Iran where eight people have died of the coronavirus.

Jordan bars travellers from China, Iran, SKorea over virus

Jordan said on Sunday it would bar entry to citizens of China, Iran and South Korea and other foreigners travelling from those countries in response to the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

The minister of state for media affairs, Amjad Adayleh, said the decision was part of "preemptive measures... following the rise in cases of coronavirus in South Korea, Iran" and China.

Adayleh said the ban would be "temporary" and imposed on all non-Jordanians coming from the three nations among the worst affected by the illness.

"Jordanians who come from those countries will be placed in quarantine for two weeks to ensure they have not contracted the coronavirus," he said.

His comments came as South Korea on Sunday raised its alert on the new coronavirus to the highest level after reporting three more deaths and 169 new infections.

Iran reported three more novel coronavirus deaths among 15 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of fatalities in the Islamic republic to eight and infections to 43.

Jordan has so far not reported any cases of coronavirus in the kingdom.