The first batch of 303 medical workers from southwest China's Sichuan Province, which was sent to Wuhan to battle the COVID-19, has returned home.

The 303 medical staff, including 101 doctors and 200 nurses, arrived at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Tuesday.

The medical workers, aged 22-53, are from the sixth team dispatched to Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus in China. They are from 72 medical institutions in Sichuan, covering pulmonary and critical care, neurology and emergency departments.

Arriving on February 9, they worked at Hanyang temporary hospital in Wuhan, where they treated a total of 506 patients. The members, dubbed as "heroes and heroines," will undergo an intensive quarantine at a hotel in the county of Renshou, where they will also receive psychological counseling.

"I feel somewhat reluctant to leave. But this departure is different from what it used to be, which was usually sad. It's a happy farewell this time, because we have endeavored to complete the mission. We're also grateful to Wuhan residents. They cared for us during our stay here," said Xiang Shurui, one of the team members, before leaving Wuhan.

Sichuan Province has sent a total of 1,459 medical workers to support Hubei since the COVID-19 outbreak. These medics worked in some 10 hospitals.

Starting Tuesday, medical workers from different provinces and regions are leaving Hubei as the situation there has much improved with a sharp drop in the infection rates.

(Sichuan Radio and TV Station contributed to this report.)