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| A truck carrying meals for the Wuhan evacuees enters the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Sunday./ Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
The government said Sunday that 701 Koreans who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, due to the outbreak of a new deadly corona virus, spent a calm weekend.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province was housing 173 people, while the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province was sheltering 528.
The evacuees returned to Korea via chartered planes Friday and Saturday, and the majority were driven directly to the facilities. However, 25 were taken to hospitals for testing before being taken to the quarantine facilities after their results came back negative for the virus.
One among the 701 was sent to the National Medical Center in Seoul, Sunday, after he was confirmed to have been infected. He had passed the initial screening at Gimpo International Airport where he arrived Friday, but began showing symptoms of fever at the facility Saturday.
Also among the evacuees were two children ― eight and 10 years old ― with only their father. The authorities would not allow their mother who is Chinese to travel with them, only allowing their Korean father to take care of them.
Despite initial strong opposition prior to the arrivals, local residents of Jincheon and Asan are now welcoming the evacuees. "Welcome! We hope you'll recover soon" said one message written on a placard placed near the gate of the National Human Resources Development Institute.
The evacuees are staying in single rooms with private bathrooms ― families stay together in larger rooms ― and have their meals brought in three times a day by a private contractor. For the next two weeks, they will have their temperatures checked twice daily. Physical contact with outside people during the quarantine period is strictly prevented, and they have also been advised not to interact with each other.
Those who show symptoms will be taken to medical centers in the vicinity for closer monitoring and treatment. Before their departure, all 701 will be tested for again to ensure they are not infected with the virus. Medical staff are on stand-by 24 hours a day to assist them.
Outside the facilities, quarantine staff have set up disinfectant sprayers and monitor all vehicles passing the buildings' entrances, while the National Police Agency dispatched 700 officers to both sites to patrol them and deal with possible emergency situations.
Local governments are being kept advised of the situation in order for them to keep their residents safe and well-informed. Over the weekend, Jincheon County government said it purchased an additional 100,000 masks to provide the residents.
The government said about 20 Koreans are still in Wuhan and they're in communication with the government to decide on whether and when to return to Korea.
