Coronavirus stops LUPE's Census 2020 block walking program
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SAN JUAN, Texas - La Uni\\xf3n del Pueblo Entero is stopping its block walking of colonias in support of Census 2020 due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Instead, the nonprofit that assists immigrant and low-income families will encourage residents to participate in the census count through phone calls. And with the Census Bureau announcing it has stopped its field operations, LUPE will ask its members and supporters to fill out the census forms online.
In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, LUPE community organizer Martha Sanchez admitted her group is worried that census participation in the Rio Grande Valley will be reduced due to the overriding attention on the coronavirus.
She notes that many Colonia residents do not have access to the Internet.\\xa0
The more people that participate in the census, the more federal funding a community gets.\\xa0
To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.
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