CHARLOTTE – The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. Over 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all households in America.  In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020 Census operations in order to:

• Protect the health and safety of the American public and Census Bureau employees
• Implement guidance from Federal, State, and local authorities
• Ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities

The Census Bureau temporarily suspended Census workers from going door-to-door in March. Steps are already being taken to allow Census workers to continue their field work beginning June 1, 2020.

In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work, and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment and social distancing practices.

Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to October 31, 2020. This will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to the President by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.

So how can you verify that the person knocking on your door is actually a census worker?

To help identify address listers, officials say employees will have badges and briefcases indicating their affiliation with the Census Bureau. They are supposed to knock on doors and ask a few simple questions to verify the address and any additional living quarters on the property for inclusion in the census while keeping a 6-foot distance with any interactions.

For additional resources, please visit 2020Census.gov – https://2020census.gov/en/news-events/press-releases/statement-covid-19-2020.html