SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — With field operations for the 2020 Census suspended nationwide until at least April 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic, federal officials are urging all Americans to respond online.
"The Census Bureau is taking this step to protect the health and safety of the American public, Census Bureau employees, and everyone going through the hiring process for temporary census taker positions," the bureau said in a statement.
The 2020 Census -- an effort to count every American in order to inform everything from the number of congressional seats granted to each state to the allocation of federal funding -- kicked off less than a week ago and more than 11 million households have responded so far, according to the statement.
“It’s really easy for the census to take a backseat and it’s important for everybody to understand that it’s not only the law,” said Greg Anglea, Executive Director, Interfaith Community Services.
Anglea said not only is it the law but it helps community programs and non-profits that provide essential services and resources.
“Whether you are thinking about homelessness, hunger, unemployment” said Anglea.
Family stability programs such as transportation, roads, housing, health services are a few of the many programs that impacted by the Census to receive federal money.
Every residence is scheduled to receive a request by Friday to respond to a short questionnaire online, by phone or by mail. Responses can be filed at my2020census.gov using the 12-digit census identification number provided on mailed materials or by entering a name, address and phone number in order to pull up the survey.
The short questionnaire -- which does not include a citizenship question -- should take about 10 minutes to complete.
“It’s making sure that everyone counts, everybody does count and we are all in this together,” said David Bennett, U.S. Census Media Specialist.
With the Coronavirus many are speculate how it will impact the census. Face-to-face outreach has been suspended.
“What we are doing is having to be a little bit more creative, leveraging social media, leveraging digital marketing,” said Bennett.
There will be more virtual townhalls, Facbeook Lives and phone banks will be impacted. Count Me 2020 and local partners are working with the U.S. Census on outreach.
“The census is here and we know it will be harder to get an accurate count and it will be harder but we know we have a team,” said Michele Silverthorn, Count Me 2020 Project Leader and United Way of San Diego County.
According to the Advancement Project, 255,612 to 783,277 people living in San Diego and Imperial Counties are at risk of not being counted in 2020.
On March 20, you will be able to track how your county is responding compared to other counties, states and the nation.
Other more detailed census surveys are now being conducted by phone rather than in-person.
The bureau is also still actively hiring in Los Angeles and elsewhere. People can apply at www.2020census.gov/jobs.
"Everyone should respond to the 2020 Census as soon as they receive their invitation -- and when they're finished, they can make sure their friends, families and social networks know about the importance of responding," according to the Census Bureau.
As for students whose colleges and universities have closed in the wake of the coronavirus, the bureau clarified earlier this week that they should be counted by the school, even if they have temporarily moved home.
Historically, a robust and accurate census response has relied on community outreach and door-to-door visits by census takers, who were set to begin outreach in late May. The bureau said it would continue to evaluate operations based on the guidance of federal, state and local health authorities.
The planned completion date is July 31, but the bureau earlier said that date will be adjusted if needed to achieve a complete and accurate count.