Coronavirus: Cardiff lecturer 'exhausted' by quarantine move

Yvonne Griffiths was in China at the time of the outbreak

A lecturer who was one of the first Britons to be evacuated from coronavirus-hit Wuhan has said she feels exhausted by the experience.

Yvonne Griffiths, 71, from Cardiff, was one of 83 people who arrived back in the UK on Friday, and 11 more followed.

They are now on the third of 14 days in quarantine at Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral.

The virus has caused more than 100 deaths, spreading across China and to at least 16 other countries.

Dr Griffiths, who had been in Wuhan for three weeks, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers it was it was all quite "surreal".

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"It's a very, very unusual situation that you find yourself in," she said.

"I think the one thing is the stress you are under over there and then you've got the exhaustion of that long journey.

The accommodation in quarantine is like student halls

Yvonne Griffiths said she is able to keep up to date with messages

"It's a very long and stressful period that people have been through and then you've got a couple of days to get over the jetlag which plays into that."

Dr Griffiths said the accommodation was like student flats but staff had been very helpful and people did interact with each other in the communal kitchens.

"Nobody is exhibiting symptoms and so we are being asked daily a number of times," she added.

There is a communal kitchen in each set of flats

Yvonne Griffiths said people generally wear masks unless they have to eat or drink

"As long as everybody stays well, it will be 14 days [until they can go home].

"It's been very stressful for the family. They are very relieved to have me back home even though I'm not home, home. Just to hear me on British soil is reassurance for the family."

What is the advice from Public Health Wales?

People have been urged to carry tissues and use them when coughing or sneezing. They should bin the tissue, and to kill the germs, wash their hands with soap and water, or use a sanitiser gel.

Public Health Wales said this was the best way to slow the spread of most germs, including Coronavirus.

It added there were no confirmed cases in Wales.