Pandemic delays census outreach, completion date
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the U.S. Census Bureau to delay its door-to-door outreach efforts, prompting local officials to again urge residents to complete the Census online.
Nearly all U.S. residents were expected to receive a 2020 Census packet in the mail by April 1, the day deemed by the federal government as “National Census Day.”
Included in that packet is a paper copy of the census questionnaire as well as instructions about how to complete the survey online. The 2020 Census marks the first time since the first census was conducted, in 1790, that residents will have the opportunity to answer the questions online.
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government has extended the deadline to complete the count to Aug. 14, from the original July 31 deadline.
It also has postponed planned outreach events at businesses, libraries and soup kitchens, as well as the door-to-door outreach, until May.
Originally, census takers were scheduled to hit the streets April 9. But with the majority of businesses and libraries closed across the state and the apex of the virus expected in about two weeks, that plan has been delayed, according to the Census Bureau website.
“We are adjusting some operations ... with two key principles in mind: protecting the health and safety of our staff and the public, and fulfilling our statutory requirement to deliver the 2020 Census counts to the president on schedule,” the Census Bureau stated in a March 15 press release.
Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro urged residents to complete the form online, by phone or through the mail.
“Participating in the national census takes just a few minutes but can greatly impact Dutchess County for years to come,” Molinaro said in a prepared statement.
“Census information is used when communities plan various important efforts, from providing health services to assessing transportation needs,” he added. “Congressional, state and county legislative districts also will be redrawn based on the census numbers.”
Molinaro said census information is kept confidential, noting the penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The federal government uses the information collected from across the country to determine how it distributes some $675 billion in annual funds to state and county governments, as well as determine state and federal representation, which is based on population counts.
“While we come together to combat this virus, it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to ensure each and every one of us is counted in the 2020 Census,” state Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston, said in a prepared statement Tuesday.
Cahill said the information gathered will be used to determine federal funding for hospitals, emergency services, schools and transportation, among many other essential services.