The government will send another chartered flight to Wuhan, China to evacuate Korean citizens still trapped in the epicenter of the coronavirus epidemic.

Some 701 Koreans were evacuated late last month aboard two chartered flights but the Chinese government did not allow their Chinese dependents to leave. This time, both Koreans and their Chinese spouses will be evacuated.

Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Sunday, "The first and second flights did not include Chinese citizens, but the Chinese government informed us [on Feb. 5] that it has changed its policy. We're taking applications until Sunday midnight, and some 100 out of 230 Koreans and their Chinese family members have applied for the flight so far."

The new arrivals will also be quarantined here for two weeks. The government is looking for a new location other than the two current temporary shelters in Asan and Jincheon in central Korea.

Health and Welfare Minister Park Neung-hoo said, "We haven't decided on the location but we are considering government-run facilities that are some way from residential areas."

The government also decided to bolster the fine for people who break their self-quarantine from a maximum of W3 million to up to W20 million (US$1=W1,192).

Meanwhile, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday the fourth coronavirus patient here, who had been diagnosed on Jan. 27, has been released from hospital after making a full recovery 14 days later.

Earlier, two other infected patients were released with a clean bill of health. The first took 13 days to make a full recovery and the second 18.

There is currently no cure for the new coronavirus. Patients with severe symptoms are given the AIDS drug Kaletra and other antivirals. Eom Joong-shik at Gachon University Gil Hospital said, "At present, we are focusing on treatment of the symptoms rather than targeting the cause."