Although COVID-19-related topics are taking over headlines, it’s important to remember there are currently invitations arriving in mailboxes for the 2020 Census.

The census is important for multiple reasons, including determining the amount of funding and programs different geographic areas, such as Fayette County, can receive and/or have access to. The Census is only taken once every 10 years.

The information that is arriving in the mail includes a link for the online survey along with a code to access the survey for the address of the home it was sent to. The survey takes just minutes to fill out. It requires the names and birthdays of those living at the address along with a few questions to answer about each person.

In efforts to make the census accessible to as many as possible, the U.S. Census Bureau wants you to know you can respond in more languages than ever before.

In fact, over 99 percent of the nation’s households will be able to respond to the once-a-decade population count online or by phone in the language they speak at home.

“By giving households the option to respond online or by phone in English and 12 additional languages, we are giving residents the tools they need to be counted and encouraging them to shape their futures,” said Steven Dillingham, director of the Census Bureau.

Census invitations arriving between March 12 and March 20 will include an insert in the 12 non-English languages, inviting people to respond online or by phone in their language.

These languages, ranked by the number of limited-English-speaking households, according to American Community Survey data collected from 2012 to 2016, include Spanish, Chinese (online in Simplified Chinese and by phone in Mandarin and Cantonese), Vietnamese, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Tagalog, Polish, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Japanese.

About 13 million households (roughly 9 percent) will receive invitations in both English and Spanish. These bilingual invitations will go to all households in census tracts (areas with about 4,000 households) where 20 percent or more of the households primarily speak Spanish, according to American Community Survey data collected from 2013 to 2017.

Households in areas less likely to respond online will also receive a paper questionnaire with the initial invitation.

Beginning April 8, households that have not yet responded will receive a paper questionnaire. (Households receiving bilingual invitations will receive bilingual English/Spanish paper questionnaires).

Beginning in mid-May, census takers across the nation—many bilingual—will visit households that haven’t responded to collect responses in person.

The Census Bureau is providing video guides narrated in 59 non-English languages (including American Sign Language) to help people respond online and print guides written in the 59 non-English languages to help people complete the English paper questionnaire. Guides are also available in Braille and large print English.

Additionally, beginning March 12, the Census Bureau will offer live, non-English help by phone between 7 a.m. – 2 a.m. ET.

Below are phone numbers for help in specified languages:

-English: 844-330-2020

-Spanish: 844-468-2020

-Chinese (Mandarin): 844-391-2020

-Chinese (Cantonese): 844-398-2020

-Vietnamese: 844-461-2020

-Korean: 844-392-2020

-Russian: 844-417-2020

-Arabic: 844-416-2020

-Tagalog: 844-478-2020

-Polish: 844-479-2020

-French: 844-494-2020

-Haitian Creole: 844-477-2020

-Portuguese: 844-474-2020

-Japanese: 844-460-2020

-English (Puerto Rico residents): 844-418-2020

-Spanish (Puerto Rico residents): 844-426-2020

– Telephone Display Device (TDD), 844-467-2020, will also be available for people who have hearing impairments.