As census takers are beginning to knock on doors, the U.S. Census Bureau talked to The Era about COVID-19-related safety and timeline changes for 2020, along with reasons why people should respond to the census every time.

One of the biggest COVID-19-related changes in this year’s census was the timeline, said Jeff T. Behler, director for the U.S. Census Bureau’s New York Regional Office.

Census employees had been scheduled to start knocking on doors May 13, but that was pushed back about three months.

“We started knocking on doors in some areas as early as Aug. 3,” said Behler. “We’re going to have close to 400,000 census takers nationwide who will be knocking on doors.”

Anyone who has yet to fill out the 2020 census should be expecting a visit.

It’s not too late to respond online or by telephone, he said. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30, both for self-reporting and door-knocking.

“If they do that, it eliminates the need for us to knock on their door,” he noted.

Census takers will be taking steps to keep themselves and those they visit safe from the spread of COVID-19, too, according to Behler.

“It’s a requirement that every census taker must wear a mask when knocking on doors,” he said.

Social distancing is required, too. In areas where it is safe enough for census takers to already be out knocking on doors, “We instruct them not to go into anyone’s home,” but rather “to conduct the interview on the front porch, outside.”

It’s not always easy to get the word out about the census in rural areas, but the bureau uses local resources such as libraries and faith-based organizations to reach out to communities.

Behler called libraries a “key partner” for the Census Bureau, as they are good places to spread the word. For people without internet connectivity, libraries are “opening their doors to allow local community members” to fill out their census forms.

Churches, too, are a “trusted voice,” and, as churches start loosening restrictions, some church officials are talking about the census during services and allowing materials to be distributed during coffee hour.

Not only does the U.S. Census Bureau connect with community organizations, it hires locally for census takers.

“We want people to work with their own communities,” said Behler, who explained that locals better understand the cultural and language challenges in their own community.

As for people who do not fill out the census on their own, Behler said there are several reasons why.

For some, “it’s fear of government,” he said. Others might be members of a new immigrant community or college students who have never filled out the census before and don’t understand what it’s about.

For residents who are worried about providing personal information, Behler said that Title 13 of U.S. Code states, “We can never release data about an individual or household.”

Residents may worry data will affect their housing or be spread to organizations such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Internal Revenue Service (IRS), but Behler said that is not the case. Government and law enforcement officials cannot ask for data.

“We’ve even been taken to court several times” by people seeking information about respondents, he said. “The Census Bureau has won every time.”

He added that every census taker has to take an oath of confidentiality — census takers who violate that trust can face a fine of up $250,000, a prison sentence of up to five years or both.

Census data is important to communities because it is used to determine how hundreds of billions of dollars of federal funding is used every year.

This is funding that goes to projects and programs such as roads, bridges and tunnels, Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps and more. Also affected are educational programs such as Head Start, lunch programs, the distribution of Pell grants.

“An easy way to support local healthcare professionals is to fill out the census, Behler noted, explaining that entities such as hospitals and firehouses get resources based on census data, too.

To illustrate how incomplete census data impacts communities, Behler says to imagine a school with 100 children where only 80 children get counted in the census. That would mean the school would only get 80% of the federal resources it would otherwise get.

“All 100 kids are going to have to do more with less funding,” he said.

Not only that, but the school would get less funding for 10 years in a row.

“We get one opportunity every 10 years to do this, and it’s so important that we get a complete and accurate count,” he said.

People can self-respond by calling 844-330-2020 or visiting 2020census.gov. For residents who get a visit by a census taker, they can complete the census through a brief five-minute conversation with the employee.

One thing to keep in mind when filling out the census is that, “Regardless of when you fill it out, we’re asking about April 1,” said Behler. The census is “taking a snapshot of our country at a certain time, and that time is April 1.”

While rural communities may not be exposed to the same level of advertising about the census, suburban and rural areas tend to have higher self-reporting than densely populated areas, he said.

According to the census website, 2020census.gov, Pennsylvania’s response rate as of Sunday evening was 67.1% — nearly three percentage points higher than the overall U.S. rate of 64.2%.

However, only one local county — Elk with 66.5% — was higher than the U.S. rate on Sunday. Other local counties have response rates of 62.9% in McKean; 48% in Potter; and 42.4% in Cameron.