The U.S. Census Bureau, in coordination with health officials, will begin a phased restart of some 2020 Census field operations in select geographic areas this week.
Updates on the operations resuming by location are available at 2020census.gov. This webpage will be updated weekly as 2020 Census operations resume across the United States.
Although the Census Bureau has been supplied with personal protection equipment for all field staff, most of the earliest work during the restart will entail dropping off census packets at front doors, meaning there will be no contact with residents and social distancing is maintained. Areas of concentration are those places where the majority of residents do not receive mail at the home.
The packets were just beginning to be delivered when the operation was suspended in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Households that receive the packets are asked to respond promptly online, by phone or by completing and mailing the form back. This ensures the best count of the community.
The census is conducted once every 10 years and was authorized by the Founding Fathers of the nation. The numbers tabulated are used to determine how many political representatives a region has at the state and federal level, as well as being used for allocation of funding for public building projects, roads, airports, hospitals and clinics.
According to Joe Bryant, a census worker, there is a 50 percent response rate statewide, but only 29.8 percent have responded n Blaine County. That breaks out into 43 percent for Watonga and 34 percent for Geary.
When areas are under-represented, Bryan said, it loses money and benefits to which it is entitled. The U.S. standard response rate is 56 percent. Some states, including Iowa and Minnesota, are showing response rates of more than 60 percent.
If an identified household does not respond, it may be visited by a census worker to have the forms completed.
Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com