Census Bureau: In-person census counts to ‘present low risk’ of transmitting coronavirus

As in-person counting efforts kick off across the country for the decennial census, bureau officials are working to keep staff and members of the public safe from the coronavirus.

“Participation in 2020 census interviews should present a low risk of transmission of covid-19,” according to the Census Bureau.

In-person enumerators started visiting homes of people who have not filled out the survey last week across Western Pennsylvania. The census dictates how federal funds are spent and the number of congressional seats allocated to a state.

According to the bureau, those workers are trained to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to help mitigate risks. Those recommendations include wearing face masks, practicing social distancing and hand hygiene and conducting interviews outside as much as possible.

Members of the public who are visited by an enumerator are encouraged to maintain social distancing during interviews and follow CDC guidelines.

“The CDC stands ready to support the work of the Census Bureau and its staff in providing consultation and technical assistance to ensure that relevant data and findings are communicated in a timely fashion to keep census field staff and household members safe and healthy,” the bureau said.

Field operations, including in-person counts, were postponed earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Adjustments to the schedule pushed the final date for self-response and in-person counts to Sept. 30, giving families more time to respond to the survey via phone, mail or online.

Locally, complete count committees have used social media and other outlets to spread the word about the census, said Phil Koch, member of the Westmoreland County Complete Count Committee.

“Considering that we’re operating in a pandemic with little in-person outreach and really relying on social media and our other efforts, outreach through nonprofits, I think we’re doing pretty well compared to previous years,” Koch said last week.