A new coronavirus worry: causing long-term damage to Miami-Dade’s Census stats

Since last year, Miami-Dade has been planning for Census Day to be the kick-off for an intense effort to get as many residents as possible to fill out the government survey and prevent the kind of under-counting that can leave a community getting less than its fair share of federal dollars that are allocated on the basis of population.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic, which has upended almost every element of the strategy. Libraries and universities and community centers are closed, robbing organizers of the free computers marketed to people without internet at home.

Door-knocking campaigns are on hold as governments discourage personal interactions and close contact. And with coronavirus dominating media time, decision-makers and residents trying to survive economically, the official launch of the decennial U.S. Census on April 1 isn’t making the previously planned splash.

While backers of Miami-Dade’s Census campaign say they’re worried about pandemic complications, they’re also hoping the coronavirus will drive some urgency for participation.

“I don’t want coronavirus to be an excuse for us not to be able to fulfill our obligation to complete the Census,” Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo said in a video press conference Wednesday. “If you care about transportation and education and housing and, ironically , healthcare, now is the time to get counted by the Census.”

By now, most households should have received Census paperwork by mail. Most will be invitations to fill out brief surveys online. Some households will receive paper questionnaires. While April 1 is the official day that’s counted in the Census — people record where they’re living on that date — the Census process stretches through the summer. For people who don’t respond online, more mail will follow with paper questionnaires. After that, a Census worker is dispatched to collect the answers in person.

Miami-Dade’s participation rate of 32.7% is lagging both the averages for Florida (37.6%) and the country (38.4%).

Gepsie Metellus, executive director of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center in North Miami, had planned on her building welcoming a steady stream of residents this week to help fill out the Census electronically. The center was a designated community center for Census assistance, but the pandemic ruined that plan.

Now, Metellus said her staff is trying to encourage people to fill out the Census by phone and using the coronavirus as a motivation.

“We’re especially highlighting that the coronavirus pandemic is a demonstration of why you need an accurate Census count,” she said. “Everything from emergency dollars, to medical equipment and healthcare infrastructure needs — all of that is driven by the Census count.”

Miami Herald Staff Writer Rob Wile contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 1, 2020 at 7:30 PM.