A year after he boarded a plane evacuating Britons from Wuhan in the early weeks of the COVID-19, Matt Raw regrets leaving China.

As cases began to rise in Wuhan and surrounding areas, Cheshire, UK-native Raw, his Chinese wife and her mother were among 83 Britons evacuated by the UK government from the city on January 31, 2020.

"I think when we came back from Wuhan, we were pleased to be back in England," says Raw. "At that time, there was no virus here in England – or maybe only one case. So really we were glad to be back. But of course, everything's changed and it changed very, very quickly."

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Having seen what he feels is the appropriate response to the virus in China in January, Raw was shocked by the UK's reaction. "Why aren't we doing anything? Why isn't our government doing anything? Where's their plan?" Raw recalls.

"I wish we'd never got on that flight. I wish we'd stayed in Wuhan."

COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan and after the new coronavirus spread through the city in January 2020, a strict lockdown was imposed. Many foreign nationals left Wuhan or were evacuated from the city despite the Chinese government advising against it.  

Two days before Raw's flight landed, the UK had identified its first COVID-19 case. It was to be the first of many. In the following months, the UK became one of the worst-affected countries in the world and has now recorded the deaths of more than 100,000 people within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test.

Meanwhile, largely due to the initial strict lockdown in Wuhan, life in the Chinese city has, for the most part, returned to normal.

The better news for the UK has been a widely praised vaccine distribution program, with more than 10 million doses administered so far.

"We will be stuck in England for a little bit longer," says Raw. "But as soon as we get the vaccine and as soon as we are able to come back to China, as soon as we can get a flight, we will be coming back home."