The 2020 Census is underway and more households across America are responding every day. More than 70 million households have responded to date, representing over 48% of all households in America. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak, the U.S. Census Bureau is adjusting 2020 Census operations in order to:
The Census Bureau temporarily suspended 2020 Census field data collection activities in March. Steps are already being taken to reactivate field offices beginning June 1, in preparation for the resumption of field data collection operations as quickly as possible following June 1.
In-person activities, including all interaction with the public, enumeration, office work and processing activities, will incorporate the most current guidance to promote the health and safety of staff and the public. This will include recommended personal protective equipment and social distancing practices.
Once 2020 Census data collection is complete, the Census Bureau begins a lengthy, thorough and scientifically-rigorous process to produce the apportionment counts, redistricting information and other statistical data products that help guide hundreds of billions of dollars in public and private sector spending per year.
To ensure the completeness and accuracy of the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau is asking Congress for 120 additional calendar days to deliver final apportionment counts. Under this plan, the Census Bureau would extend the window for field data collection and self-response to Oct. 31, which will allow for apportionment counts to be delivered to President Trump by April 30, 2021, and redistricting data to be delivered to the states no later than July 31, 2021.
On April 7, the Fort Worth City Council extended the emergency declaration that was originally signed by Mayor Betsy Price on Monday, April 6, 2020 to implement stay home, work safe restrictions to help combat the spread and impact of COVID-19 on the City of Fort Worth.
This action extends the declaration through April 30, 2020.
For specific questions about businesses, call 817-392-8478 or email COVID19@FortWorthTexas.gov. For more information visit http://fortworthtexas.gov/COVID-19.
Congress recently approved the CARES Act, a federal bill to provide economic relief for individuals and businesses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One major component of the CARES Act is the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program, which provides small businesses with enough funds to pay up to eight weeks of payroll costs, including benefits. These funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.
These funds come in the form of loans that may be fully forgiven when used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. Loan payments will be deferred for six months, and no collateral or personal guarantees are required. Small businesses will not be charged fees by either government or lenders.
Important points to keep in mind:
Loan forgiveness depends on businesses keeping employees on the payroll, or rehiring employees quickly, while maintaining salary levels. At least 75% of the loan amount must be used for payroll expenses in order for the loan to be fully forgiven, and loan forgiveness will be reduced if salaries decrease, or if the number of full-time employees declines.
All small businesses are eligible. This means a business with 500 employees or less, and includes nonprofits, veterans’ organizations, tribal concerns, self-employed individuals, sole proprietorships, and independent contractors.
All loans will have the same terms, regardless of the lender or borrower.
Unemployment benefits have been extended to self-employed workers, independent contractors, and those with limited work history. Unemployment insurance provisions now include an additional $600 per week payment to each recipient for up to four months.
Contact your financial institution to determine when they expect to start processing applications. Apply as quickly as possible, as there is a funding cap.
Business owners can download the application online, fill it out, and take it to any existing SBA 7(a) lending partner, federally insured bank, or federally insured credit union to officially file it. (These institutions may allow for submission via email on their website.) Business owners may be asked to provide their tax and payroll information, as well as information about their rent and utility costs.
In addition to the Small Business Paycheck Protection Program, businesses can also apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) through the U.S. Small Business Association, or SBA.
The SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans provide targeted, low-interest recovery loans of up to $2 million to small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, and some private nonprofit organizations. As of March 20, businesses throughout the entire state of Texas can apply.
Important points to keep in mind about SBA Loans:
The CARES Act, mentioned previously, also includes an opportunity to get up to a $10,000 advance on an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan. This advance may be available even if your EIDL application was declined or is still pending, and it will be forgiven. If you wish to apply for the advance on your EIDL, visit the SBA website as soon as possible to fill out a new, streamlined application. In order to qualify for the advance, you’ll need to submit a new application even if you previously submitted one already. Applying for the advance will not impact the status of, or slow down your existing application.
For more information about these and other financial resources for businesses in Fort Worth, keep an eye on the city’s COVID-19 Business Resources page, which is being updated as information becomes available.
A hotline established for the COVID-19 outbreak has proven to be a popular way for Fort Worth residents and business owners to learn news and information about the virus and its effects on everyday life.
During the week of March 22-29, 1,995 calls and 744 emails were handled by call-takers in the Consumer Health Division of the city’s Code Compliance Department. Staff members in other city departments also provided answers to questions in their area of expertise.
The hotline, which operates 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday, can provide basic information about the virus and its symptoms, information for businesses affected by the ongoing shutdown, information on how to report a violation of the stay-at-home order and other topics. Responses are available in English and Spanish.
Contact the hotline at 817-392-8478 or by email.
The Fort Worth Police Department has received numerous false claims across its social media platforms indicating Fort Worth police officers are enforcing “stay-at-home” checkpoints by pulling drivers over and asking for work documentation.
These claims are not accurate.
The FWPD is not and will not enforce these types of traffic stops. If an officer makes a traffic stop, it will be for an observed traffic violation or for investigation of another criminal offense.
In this time of social distancing, there is still plenty of need for people to maintain their mental and physical health. Exercising outdoors – especially on beautiful spring days – helps our well-being and is critical in times like these.
Keep in mind; Fort Worth parks, trails and open spaces are still open and available to enjoy. However, residents are encouraged to comply with the recommended six-foot social distancing barrier at all times.
Some pointers to remember when you’re enjoying Fort Worth’s robust collection of parks and open spaces:
All community centers and the Haws Athletic Center are closed.
All spring youth and adult sports programs are canceled. All field use reservations have been canceled through May 1.
Log Cabin Village is closed.
Fort Worth Dream Park and Patricia LeBlanc Park have been closed until further notice.
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden is closed until further notice.
The Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is closed.
Both ZBonz and Fort Woof Dog Parks are closed until further notice. On-leash dogs are welcome to continue visiting parks and trails as long as the six-foot social distancing barrier is maintained.
Posted March 17, 2020 | Last updated April 8, 2020
Visit Fort Worth has unveiled a new and improved webpage to showcase Fort Worth restaurants that offer curbside and delivery service during social distancing.
The updated version includes the ability to browse specific cuisines and regions of Fort Worth. The page now also features more than 300 local restaurants and new search filters that include: takeout, delivery, alcohol, groceries, gift cards and cash-only.
Traffic to the page soared in March with more than 50,000 views – more than twice the normal traffic – reflecting the community’s interest in supporting local restaurants.
“We appreciate the support that Visit Fort Worth is showing our vulnerable restaurant community during this time,” said Jon Bonnell, chef and owner of The Bonnell’s Restaurant Group. “Local restaurants are trying desperately to get creative and stay afloat. This is our first pandemic too, and we are all just trying to adjust and survive. The more the community knows about how to safely support their local restaurants, the better chance we have of recovering someday.”
Visit Fort Worth is promoting the restaurants webpage locally through targeted digital ads and social media. The video “In It Together” showcases the restaurant community and is part of the promotion effort.
“We are dedicating marketing resources to help our community during this unprecedented time,” said Mitch Whitten, executive vice president of marketing and strategy for Visit Fort Worth. “Local cuisine is one of the top reasons people travel and we want to support and preserve this important part of our city and visitor experience.”
In addition to the restaurants page, Visit Fort Worth has released 10 blogs to encourage followers to virtually experience Fort Worth during social distancing, a small-business resource page, an events updates page and a creative industry fundraiser in partnership with the United Way of Tarrant County. Links to each can be found on the Visit Fort Worth homepage.
Restaurateurs can submit their information to be added to the page by emailing Austin James.
The city has replaced the Nixle emergency alert system with Fort Worth Texas Alerts.
Residents can register for free alerts, and in the event of community emergencies, an emergency alert will be sent by text or email. Or residents can sign up for optional weather warning alerts via text, email or voice calls.
The city’s Fire Department Office of Emergency Management manages the emergency alert system designed to be one of the tools used to alert residents of hazardous conditions.
https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF3B0A05197C
UNT Health Science Center is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new brand identity and logo that emphasizes its commitment to Fort Worth and innovative spirit for the next 50 years.
“This is a transformative moment for the Health Science Center,” UNTHSC President Dr. Michael R. Williams said. “The new visual identity honors five decades of improving health in Fort Worth and allows us to better tell the story of our innovative, entrepreneurial institution that is defining and producing the providers of the future.”
The university partnered with higher education branding expert Carnegie-Dartlet to audit its previous brand and discovered that the prominent use of UNT in the logo caused considerable confusion about whether the school’s location was in Fort Worth or Denton.
After gathering input from faculty, staff, students and community members, a new logo was created emphasizing the letters “hsc” and featuring a new vibrant color scheme and stylized version of the compass rose, which symbolizes the university’s commitment to its values.
The Health Science Center was founded in 1970 as the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine by three Fort Worth physicians determined to help deliver high-quality health care in Fort Worth. Since then, the health science center has grown to six schools training future physicians, physician assistants, physical therapists, pharmacists, public health professionals and scientists to work together as a high-performing team.
More recently, the Health Science Center embarked on an ambitious campaign to instill a mindset of innovation and entrepreneurship in students and faculty in all six schools. Last year, the Health Science Center incorporated entrepreneurship courses into its curriculums and teamed with Fort Worth venture capital firm Bios Partners to create an Entrepreneur-in-Residence program to assist with technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.
UNT Health Science Center is located on 33 acres in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District.
Between March 12 and March 20, invitations to participate in the 2020 Census will start arriving in households in Fort Worth and across the country.
“The Census Bureau is ready for the nation to respond next month,” said Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham. “Millions of Americans are applying for 2020 Census jobs, more than 270,000 local and national organizations are engaged, and in less than 30 days the majority of U.S. households will receive an invitation to respond to help ensure that every person in the U.S. is counted.”
“The 2020 Census is on mission, on schedule and on budget to promote an accurate count,” Dillingham said. “Response is important because statistics from the census are used in distributing where hundreds of billions in funding for school lunches, hospitals, roads and much more. The invitations will remind respondents to include everyone living in the household, whether they are related or not. This includes young children. Your response will impact communities for the next decade.”
The invitation will include instructions on how to respond to the 2020 Census online or by phone. By April 1, most households will have received an invitation delivered either by mail or by a census taker. In areas of the country that are less likely to respond online, a paper questionnaire will be included in the initial mailing to households. Reminder mailings will be sent to households that do not respond, and in the fourth mailing every household that has not yet responded will receive a paper questionnaire.
Once households receive invitations, residents should respond to the 2020 Census by using the provided Census ID. If a household is unable to enter the Census ID, people can still respond, by providing an address. Whether people respond online, by phone or by mail, it is important to respond right away.
Census timeline
Here is a timeline of how and when the Census Bureau will invite households to complete the 2020 Census questionnaire:
March 12-20: Initial invitations to respond online and by phone will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire along with the invitation to respond online or over the phone.
March 16-24: Reminder letters will be delivered.
March 26-April 3: Reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not responded.
April 8-16: Reminder letters and paper questionnaires will bed elivered to remaining households that have not responded.
April 20-27: Final reminder postcards will be delivered to households that have not yet responded before census takers follow up in person.
If a household does not respond to any of the invitations, a census taker will follow up in person sometime between May 13 and July 31.
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