Census count continues in spite of COVID-19

Mar. 30--HENDERSON -- Although the COVID-19 outbreak has brought many community activities to a halt, the 2020 U.S. Census count continues.

The current partial shutdown of many community services and activities has caused the U.S. Census Bureau to adjust 2020 its operations to protect the health and safety of Census Bureau employees as well as the public.

Beginning on March 12, census questionnaires were mailed to households with instructions on the three ways to respond: online, by phone or by mail.

The Census Bureau strongly encourages the public to respond online by going to https://my2020census.gov/.

To respond by phone, call 844-330-2020. If you prefer to respond in Spanish, call 844-468-2020.

Most homes received a mail-in Census questionnaire between March 12 and March 20. You can use it to respond by mail. Return the questionnaire in the envelope provided. If you have lost your return envelope, mail the completed questionnaire to: U.S. Census Bureau, National Processing Center, 1201 E 10th Street, Jeffersonville, IN 47132.

Beginning on April 13, Census Bureau staff will help people respond online at places such as grocery stores and community centers, subject to restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Administrators of facilities such as nursing homes are encouraged to choose an option for counting their residents with a minimum of in-person contact.

Census takers will count homeless people and those in transitory locations such as campgrounds, RV parks and marinas.

The census form is easy to fill out. You are asked how many people are living at your address, and for each one their name, date of birth, ethnic identity and sex.

You are required by law to respond to the census, but your answers are kept completely confidential. Your private information will never be published. Your answers cannot be used against you by any government agency or court. By the same law, the Census Bureau can only use your responses to produce statistics that serve a number of governmental functions.

For example, census results are used to determine how billions of dollars in federal funds are allocated to states and communities, so it is very important for each person to be counted.

Vance County receives funds to support many local programs, such as Head Start, school lunches, rural education, adult education and preschool education. The county also has residents receiving assistance through Medicaid, Medicare and Children's Health Insurance.

Support for highway construction, federal housing, community development and rural water and waste disposal systems is based on census counts.

State government has a stake in the census, as the results determine how many seats in Congress each state gets. The count will determine whether North Carolina will gain, lose or hold steady in the number of seats it has in the U.S. House.

Census takers may be walking through neighborhoods in April and May to follow up on people who haven't responded to the questionnaire. You can verify their identity by checking to make sure they have a valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date.

If you have questions about their identity, call 844-330-2020 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

Avoid scams related to the census. The Census Bureau will not send unsolicited emails to request your participation. And the Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account or credit card numbers or monetary donations.

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