The U.S. Census Bureau is carefully monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and will fulfill our obligation to deliver the 2020 Census counts to the President of the United States.

It has never been easier to respond on your own, whether online, over the phone or by mail—all without having to meet a census taker. To date, over 2 million households have already responded online, and the Census Bureau is ready for you to do the same. If you do, there will be no need for census takers to knock on your door.

That said, the 2020 Census is adaptable and equipped with an approximate $2 billion dollar contingency budget for circumstances like the COVID-19 outbreak.

When a community, facility or service organization is impacted by a COVID-19 outbreak we will adapt our plans to make sure we are getting the same population counted another way.

We will share information about any change in operations with Congress, state and local authorities, community partners and the media. We will also work with community partners to continue to encourage self-response through the end of the nonresponse follow-up phase. Currently, the planned completion date is July 31- but that can and will be adjusted if necessary as the situation dictates in order to achieve a complete and accurate count.

As we continue to assess the current situation, we will always make decisions that ensure the health and safety of our staff and the public in consultation with public health authorities.