LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The U.S. Census Bureau, in coordination with federal, state and local health officials, will begin to drop off 2020 Census questionnaire packets at front doors of households in Lake County and counties around the region that do not have regular mailing addresses.
That delivery is called the “Update Leave” operation, and it began March 15 before all fieldwork was suspended March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In California, 13 of the 30 Area Census Offices, or ACOs, were reopened on Memorial Day, May 25. That includes five offices in the Bay Area: Santa Rosa, San Mateo, Sunnyvale, San Jose and Concord.
These offices were opened earlier than the previously announced June 1 reopening of all ACOs because they cover households that are included in the Update Leave operation.
Temporary field staffers 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.
In Lake County, 5,212 households are estimated to receive the packets, the Census Bureau said.
The Census Bureau reported that, as of Thursday, the national self-response rate is 60.3 percent, California's response rate is 61.4 percent and Lake County's response rate is 40.1 percent.
The Update Leave operation is contactless and follows the most current federal health and safety guidelines.
Workers will deliver questionnaires to roughly 5.1 million households in the lower 48 states, including 34,000 households in the Bay Area.
The health and safety of Census Bureau staff and the public is always a top priority, the agency said.
People are strongly encouraged to respond promptly to the 2020 Census using the ID number included in the questionnaire packet.
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 using the paper form in the packet.
Census Bureau opens for operations in select Lake, other regional counties
- Lake County News reports
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