Coronavirus: Deltona staffer deploys to New York as Army reservist

As a member of the U.S. Army Reserves who was recently activated to New York City from Florida, Zhaokai Liu's regular responsibilities have changed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

At the beginning of this month, Liu, a planner for the City of Deltona, went from working on maps with a Monday-to-Friday schedule to stepping into his role as an environmental science officer and a first lieutenant with the 338th Medical Brigade.

Liu, who turned 30 on April 6, is now spending his days analyzing data on COVID-19.

"It's an honor to be here," Liu said in a phone interview.

The News-Journal is providing this important health information for free. Help support our journalism. SUBSCRIBE HERE.The orders for the Sanford resident came on March 31. The drive took a couple of days because the Army doesn't want officers traveling more than 450 miles at a time, Liu said.

It was at a stop at Fort Meade in Maryland when he received a surprise video from a few dozen coworkers in Deltona, thanking him for his service.

Ron Paradise, director of Planning and Development Services and interim deputy city manager, said Liu had indicated, before receiving his orders, that deployment was a possibility.

With the absence of Liu, who handles most of the city's geographic information system work, others have had to step up, Paradise said.

"We've been managing, but we do miss him a lot," Paradise said.

Paradise said Liu has kept in contact with his coworkers at the city, but he imagines there will be a collective sigh of relief when Liu is able to return to Florida.

"I know they care about me," Liu said. "I'm feeling very happy that they support the military and they support me."

The activation is for 180 days, but Liu said that could change.

Liu also has helped translate for coronavirus patients whose first language is Mandarin.

"There was a miscommunication because the patient didn't speak English very well, so when the patient saw me and then I spoke her native language, she was really happy," Liu said of one translation instance.

The scene in New York City hasn't felt as grim as Liu expected, though the weather leaves something to be desired.

"The one thing I don't like here is it's very cold and very windy," Liu said.

While Liu hadn't yet had a day off at the time of a phone interview with The News-Journal on April 16, he had no complaints about the work.

"Everyone's trying to help," Liu said. "That's why I'm accepting additional duties, that's why we're here."

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