LA Delivery Hero Feeds City Amid COVID Lockdown

When Los Angeles plunged into lockdown during the COVID-19 crisis, Zhao Yang’s electric bike became a lifeline. The 28-year-old food deliveryman has kept neighborhoods fed as restaurants shuttered and households turned to takeout as their ‘new normal’.

From Noodles to Neighborhood Bonds

Zhao, who once juggled gigs as a part-time chef, now navigates eerily quiet streets to hand off everything from tacos to vegan sushi. ‘Before, it was just a job,’ he says in an exclusive interview. ‘Now, customers wave from windows like I’m bringing hope with their pad thai.’

The Unsafe Safety Net

With contactless delivery, his gloves have become second skin. But risks linger: ‘My mom in Fujian video-calls daily to remind me about masks,’ he laughs. Still, he stays – driven by community need and the surge in app-based orders that now fund his film school dreams.

As LA cautiously reopens, Zhao’s story mirrors millions worldwide: essential workers rewriting resilience on two wheels.

Reference(s):

Chinese deliveryman in LA secures food handover during COVID-19 crisis

cgtn.com