'People blamed me for bringing Covid to UK'

Matt Raw, pictured when he left quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital, in Wirral

When Matt Raw was evacuated from Wuhan along with a number of other Britons facing exposure Covid-19 in 2020, he never expected the virus to have "ramifications" that have changed the way we live to this day.

Five years on from his journey and subsequent fortnight of quarantine at a facility behind Wirral's Arrowe Park Hospital, Matt said there were "still people who blame me for bringing it into England".

"Whenever I tell anybody that we were the first people repatriated from Wuhan, naturally the first joke is: 'Oh, so you brought it here'."

Matt, along with his mother and wife Ying, were among the 83 Britons transported from RAF Brize Norton, where their evacuation flight from Wuhan had landed in the UK.

A convoy of coaches, complete with police escort, then moved the repatriated Brits to the isolation unit at Arrowe Park Hospital.

They would later be joined by 11 more British nationals from Wuhan.

Matt Raw flew from Wuhan to England with his wife, Ying, and his mother

It was the first sight of the virus arriving in the UK, and the first quarantine unit in the UK since 1978.

For Matt, and his family, the 180-mile (290km) coach journey was a "bizarre experience".

"We had the media driving past on motorbikes, vans, all trying to get a glimpse inside and I've got a feeling that maybe the windows were blacked out but we just sat there and waved."

He told BBC Radio Merseyside they were sitting at "least five rows back" from the driver, who had no face protection.

At the time, the Chinese city of Wuhan had been identified as the source of virus, but it had not yet been named and no rules on masks or social-distancing were established in the UK.

Matt said the reason he decided to return to the UK was because he believed it was in his mother's best interests to leave Wuhan and head back to England.

He said the situation was "completely new to everybody" including staff at Arrowe Park.

Six coaches were led by a police escort to the rear of the hospital and on to a side road leading to the accommodation block

"The staff had been well briefed, they made every possible plan to be able to try and cater to all of our needs when we arrived."

On arrival, the patients were greeted with a round of applause before being looked at by doctors for existing medications and others that may have been needed.

The repatriated Brits were then moved into a staff accommodation block, which had been cordoned off behind the hospital, sharing apartments with communal kitchens.

Matt, who has now moved back to Wuhan, said despite it becoming obvious the government in England were not up to speed with locking down as they were in China, he and his family took quarantine in "their stride".

He added: "If everybody had closed the borders at that moment and if everybody had been quarantined to begin with, maybe this wouldn't have happened. But who's to know?"

Those staying in the quarantine accommodation at Arrowe Park Hospital received support from the community who donated gifts

Janelle Holmes, Chief Executive at Wirral University Teaching Hospital, said staff and partner organisations worked hard to set up the quarantine site within 48 hours of the guests arrival.

"This was a hugely, challenging operation with exceptional working between health and social care partners to ensure the safety of those in quarantine, staff across the site as well as patients in the hospital was maintained," she said.

"We were also learning about this new illness which had yet to become Covid-10 and had not yet been declared a pandemic".

Gifts including cake, flowers, wine and toys, were sent in for those in quarantine.

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Local schools donated items and a Facebook community group was also created to send items to those staying at Arrowe Park.

Matt ordered a ring for his wife Ying's birthday from a jewellers in Cheshire, while they were confined.

Wirral Council's David Armstrong then picked it up and brought it to the hospital.

"The welcome by the Wirral community who sent positive messages of support to the guests was really heart-warming," added Ms Holmes.

After 14 days, the first patients left and a further cohort of 32 Britons from the Diamond Princess Cruise Liner were housed at the quarantine site.

"Strict infection prevention and control measures were in place and all guests left with a clean bill of health," said Ms Holmes.

"The response by all organisations involved in supporting the guests was truly outstanding and this close working set up a partnership framework that continued into the pandemic."