My name's Alex Whitton and I've been living in Haikou for the past one and half years. Like everyone the virus has impacted me - but I'm not letting it stop me from getting on with my life!

Alex’s cat accompanies him in the past days.

Spending days in my apartment can be really draining, but it’s really given me an opportunity to get on with some of the projects I’ve been neglecting recently. I’ve spent a lot of time studying and my progress has been amazing!

Alex spends a lot of time studying at home recently.

In the UK I had a small business within the blockchain industry and now living in Haikou I’ve been inspired by the province’s desires to develop both ecological and blockchain technologies. Hainan offers a great environment for the development of these and being able to persue my project in such an environment is really great!

Having my girlfriend here has really helped – it’s meant a lot and I’m so glad we’ve been able to support each other through this. Spending time with my two pets Max and squirrel松鼠 has also helped me stay positive and helped me deal with the isolation. My apartment complex has a really nice garden so it’s been nice taking them out for walks.

Alex’s dog Max.

I’ve also spent a lot of time speaking to friends and family back in the UK – they’re all really curious about my life here and how I’m dealing with the situation. I don’t normally cook so much either so it’s been good to get some practise in!

Alex practices cooking for himself.

I ran the DanZhou marathon in December of 2019 so not being able to exercise so much for having been hard – especially as I am planning to run the Sanya marathon in February. I’m still hoping I can keep fit enough to run another one later in the year once the situation is stable.

Alex’s selfie amid marathon.

It’s been amazing to see everyone come together to deal with the situation and it’s really shown how strong the community here is, stay strong Hainan!