S Korean evacuees from Wuhan welcomed to quarantine centres

Hundreds of South Koreans flown home on a charter flight from China were greeted with welcome signs on Friday as they arrived at quarantine centers where nearby residents had staged vehement protests only a day before.The 368 South Koreans were transported to two facilities in Asan and Jincheon, cities about 80 km (50 miles) south of capital Seoul, where they will be isolated. The aircraft carrying the evacuees from Wuhan, the epicenter of a virus outbreak in China, landed in Seoul earlier in the morning.
South Korea also reported five new confirmed cases of the virus on Friday, bringing the total to 11, including two people who returned from Wuhan via the eastern Chinese port city of Qingdao last week.
The quarantine plan triggered a strong backlash among nearby residents, with some people throwing eggs and yelling expletives on Thursday at senior officials who visited to try to defuse their anger.
Several hundred police officers were on hand at the facilities in Asan and Jincheon, but there was no major rally.
As the buses carrying the evacuees arrived in Asan escorted by police cars and disinfection trucks, some residents held signs saying “Hope you have a good rest in Asan” and “We will pray for the people suffering from the new coronavirus.”
One angry protestor, however, ripped apart a welcome banner put up by a local civic group earlier in the day.
The government had said none of the evacuees had any symptoms before departure, but one person could not board the plane due to fever after a final check at Wuhan airport, while 18 were sent to hospital immediately upon arrival, vice health minister Kim Gang-lip said.
“There were different screening standards between China and us, and we conducted another check aboard the plane and put those who were showing symptoms in separate space on the second floor of the plane,” Kim told a briefing.