COVID-19 HHRC Update: BERT, 2020 Census
April 17, 2020 6:00 pm
Information shared from Grand Country Public Health https://www.co.grand.co.us/COVID19
The Grand County COVID-19 Incident Management Team (IMT), Grand County Public Health (GCPH) and their partners have been working to define what “reopening” will look like in our community. While it will not be an easy task, our team is undertaking this challenge with two overarching guidelines; to do no harm and to highlight science and data rather than political opinions, using the right tools at the right time. GCPH and the Healthcare branch are in the process of determining what the benchmarks will be for moving forward with or retracting restrictions. The IMT, the Business Emergency Response Team (BERT), and all the town chambers have been engaged with local businesses for insight on challenges and capabilities moving forward.
Business Emergency Response Team (BERT)
Communities have been heavily impacted by coronavirus-related closures. It is clear that jobs in the hospitality and tourism sector are the highest impacted statewide. Grand County has had 546 unemployment claims in the past month with an average of six claims per week. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has expanded unemployment benefits for those who do not qualify for state unemployment insurance but are unemployed as a result of COVID-19. Those who are self-employed, independent contractors or are otherwise ineligible for traditional unemployment benefits will be able to start applying for benefits on Monday, April 20, 2020.
BERT is asking for participation in their Grand County Community Survey to better understand and quantify the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our community. The survey should take less than ten minutes to complete. BERT will be using the responses to position Grand County for recovery assistance from federal, state, and local agencies, post-pandemic. All responses are anonymous and the data collected will only be reported on the aggregate. After you complete the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win $100 cash prizes.
To take the survey, please visit: workingrand.com/covid-resources/business-recovery/
2020 Census
Now, more than ever, we want to encourage people to respond to the 2020 Census. The 2020 Census counts every person living in the United States. By law, your response cannot be used against you or against anyone else by any government agency or courts. Furthermore, it cannot be accessed by police departments, DHS, ICE, FBI, or CIA. Data collected through the census helps determine where to build new schools, hospitals, and businesses; informs the allocation of more than $675 billion in federal funding to states and communities each year; and determines how many representatives each state receives in Congress.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the delivery of 2020 Census invitations to physical addresses has been suspended. However, residents are able to respond without a Census ID. To respond online, visit 2020census.gov. To respond by phone, call 844-330-2020 for English and 844-468-2020 for Spanish, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. After you complete the 2020 Census, send a copy of your response receipt, proof of physical address matching the response receipt, and a mailing address to Grand County’s Complete Count Committee Chair at [email protected] to receive a $25 VISA gift card, while supplies last.
