Masked passengers arrive at the Sungshan Airport in Taipei on January 22, 2020. (SAM YEH / AFP)

BEIJING - A total of 361 Taiwan compatriots stranded in Hubei province, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, returned home Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

By Wednesday, a total of 608 Taiwan compatriots had returned to the island

The compatriots were brought back home by airliners from across the Straits, the CAAC said.

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Earlier on Feb 3, the first batch of 247 Taiwan compatriots were sent home by China Eastern Airlines.

After being quarantined for over 14 days, none of them have been found to suffer COVID-19, said an official with the cross-Straits affairs office of Hubei province.

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By Wednesday, a total of 608 Taiwan compatriots had returned to the island, said the CAAC.