British teacher trapped in Wuhan fears he has been 'left behind'

A British man is trapped alone in locked-down Wuhan, the epicentre of coronavirus, and worried UK authorities have left him behind.

Jamie Morris, 23, a teacher who has lived in the city for a year, had recently given his passport to the Chinese government to lengthen his residency permit so has not been able to get on a flight back to the UK.

“The news of a British evacuation came very quickly, leaving many people who lived a fair distance from the airport unable to make the flight,” Mr Morris, originally from New Tredegar, south Wales, said.

Britons were on Tuesday urged by foreign secretary Dominic Raab to leave mainland China to if they are able to.

Mr Morris, however, said he has been told to “be patient” by the Foreign Office and that “they will be in touch if anything changes”.

“I am currently on my own in my apartment, isolated from the outside world, as you would say.

“At this point, I am willing to go to any other country, but it’s all down to the UK embassy.”

Mr Morris added that his girlfriend Camilla had left on Tuesday on a flight to New Zealand as she was a Samoan national, which means he is alone in the city.

“It was the hardest decision we’ve made but she was given the opportunity to leave so I encouraged her with everything I had to take it and make sure she was safe.

“Being stuck in a quarantine in New Zealand is a lot better than being stuck in Wuhan.

“I’m so envious that she got out, but I would choose her getting out over me any day of the week. I love her and as long as she is safe, that’s all that matters.”

He is worried the military will soon take control of the city.

“Before my partner left today, she accompanied me to the local supermarket to stock up on as much as possible,” he said.

“There’s no fresh vegetables or fruits left in my local area, but we managed to collect plenty of instant noodles and frozen meats/meals which will last me for at least two weeks.

“After that, if I am still here and the military do actually take over food supplies, then it is anyone’s guess.”

He told the PA Media that he believed he could have contracted coronavirus.

“They diagnosed me as having potential pneumonia but couldn’t confirm it,” he said.

“I had all the symptoms, literally everything that has been said by the government, however it was before the virus was made public knowledge.

“There is a high possibility of it being so, but thanks to my high immune system, I managed to beat it back.”

Mr Morris said he had returned to work while ill – potentially with the virus – because he worried about losing his job.

He said the illness lasted for three weeks but his employment agency can terminate his contract after seven days of absence.

“So I managed to take a few days off but spent the rest of the time with a mask covering my face while I taught,” he said, adding that no students or coworkers had been diagnosed with coronavirus, to his knowledge.