Residents of Asan in South Chungcheong Province said on Friday that they would not oppose accommodating South Koreans who had been airlifted from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the center of a deadly coronavirus, earlier in the day.

Some residents in the city and Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, have strongly protested the government’s plan to use facilities there as quarantine wards to house some 700 Koreans, who were evacuated from Wuhan, amid mounting fears over the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

The first chartered plane carrying 368 Koreans arrived in Seoul in the morning, and will be transported to Asan and Jincheon, to be placed in isolation for a 14-day period at quarantine facilities there.

The residents who had held rallies and blocked access to the police training facility in Asan reached the decision following an hourlong meeting.

They instead plan to call on authorities to implement strong measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, according to local media.

The residents opposing housing the evacuees at the public servant training center in Jincheon also said they would not stop them from entering the building, according to local media.

Their decision comes as Asan residents took to social media on Friday to post messages of support for the Koreans who returned from Wuhan.

Messages with photos of handwritten pickets welcoming the evacuees and hashtags such as #we-are-Asan are circulating on social media, encouraging them to enjoy their stay in the city.

“We are Asan! Welcome. Let’s gather wisdom and get through difficulties together. Welcome to clean Asan!” said one citizen on a handwritten placard.

(laeticia.ock@heraldcorp.com)