Census halts field operations over coronavirus outbreak
The Census Bureau announced field operations across the country have been suspended for the next two weeks to try to stop the spread of coronavirus.
U.S. Census Bureau director Steven Dillingham said it’s important to try and slow the spread of COVID-19.
“The Census Bureau is taking this step to help protect the health and safety of the American public, Census Bureau employees, and everyone going through the hiring process for temporary census taker positions,” Dillingham said in a statement on Wednesday.
Census employees are scheduled to resume their work after April 1.
Employees who have already received their first payment from the bureau will continue to receive pay. Those who are in training or haven’t been paid will not be paid during the suspension.
The Tacoma-area census office in downtown Tacoma will as a bureau for operations, but an effort to count the population of homeless shelters and persons living outdoors has been suspended, spokesperson Toby Nelson said.
The bureau urges Americans to continue to complete the census online. More than 11 million Americans have already done so, Dillingham said.
Filling out the census online is more effective for both the government and residents, Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson said.
The census is a legally required 10-question survey on the population and demographics. Funding and legislative districts are decided by results from the census. Resources are divided for new roads, schools and emergency services.
“If you want local resources, the community has to stand up and be counted,” Anderson told The News Tribune.
This story was originally published March 18, 2020 at 12:49 PM.
