LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Census workers were supposed to hit the streets of L.A. County today, but the current unrest has caused another delay in the process.
Orange County, however, is going ahead with the exercise, the LAist website reported.
“It isn't safe to send census takers into L.A. neighborhoods yet, even though workers won't need to interact with any residents,'' Patricia Ramos of the L.A. Census office told LAist.
Last week, San Bernardino and Ventura counties reopened their offices and began the process known as Update Leave.
“The hold-up is not dependent on the Census Bureau, it's dependent on health authorities saying that it is OK to resume various types of activities,'' Ramos said, adding that the L.A. County Health Department hasn't given the go-ahead.
Field operations in Los Angeles will be considered on a week-by-week basis, but when they do resume, workers will be provided with five reusable face masks, new gloves every day, and two ounces of hand sanitizer, according to Ramos.
Areas in Los Angeles County that have the lowest response rates to the 2020 Census also have some of the highest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases, which may complicate the county's efforts to increase responses, according to a report released this week by UCLA.
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