Census Workers Hit The Streets In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Though census workers in Los Angeles County remained on hold, Monday due to the global pandemic, Orange County's census workers were allowed to go ahead with the process.

According to a report from the U.S. Census office, the Santa Ana field office planned reopening Monday, to conduct the process known as Update Leave, field operation, and completion of the hiring process for Nonresponse Followup field staff.

The U.S. Census Bureau, in coordination with federal, state and local health officials, will drop off more census questionnaire packets at front doors of households in Orange County starting this week.

This is done in areas where the majority of households do not receive mail at their physical address, according to a release from the Census Bureau.

The Census Bureau began hand-delivering census materials on March 15, but suspended all fieldwork for this operation on March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has been the only reason why census work has been delayed, they tell us.

"Temporary field staff have been trained to observe all social distancing protocols and will wear official government-provided personal protective equipment for their safety and the safety of the public. This operation is contactless and follows the most current federal health and safety guidelines," according to a release from that agency. "The health and safety of Census Bureau staff and the public is always a top priority."

The Census Bureau will continue to deliver 2020 Census invitations and paper questionnaires at 1,741 of those households within Orange County.

This operation is crucial to ensure a complete and accurate count of all communities, which helps guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.

"People are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to the 2020 Census using the ID number included in the questionnaire packet," they say. "Responding with a census ID or the paper questionnaire helps ensure the best count of their community. People can respond online, by phone or by the paper form in the packet."