South Korea on Thursday reported no new novel coronavirus cases after the latest case was identified on Tuesday, and the number of cases here remained unchanged at 28. 

As of Thursday morning, the number of people being checked for the COVID-19 virus under quarantine came to 670, down from 785 on Wednesday, with seven patients having recovered and been released from hospitals, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). 

The country has tested 5,769 people for the new coronavirus, with 5,099 of them testing negative.

Earlier, health authorities said five evacuees -- three South Koreans and two Chinese nationals -- who showed symptoms of the novel coronavirus upon arrival in Seoul from the Chinese city of Wuhan on Wednesday have all tested negative for the potentially fatal illness.

After being airlifted from the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, they were transferred to a hospital here for virus checks. The five are among the 147 South Koreans, their Chinese spouses and family members who were evacuated from China on Seoul's third evacuation flight.

South Korea has been beefing up its effort to stem spread of the virus. Starting from Wednesday, strict quarantine screening was enforced against entrants from Hong Kong and Macao, in addition to mainland China.

Passengers from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao are now required to use separate arrival counters at international airports across the country and must write a special quarantine report, filling out health questionnaires to check whether they have a fever or respiratory problems. (Yonhap)