As the number of confirmed coronavirus infections and deaths in California rises, federal, state and local officials are ramping up unprecedented restrictions on people’s movements to slow the spread of the virus. Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner announced Monday that schools, which closed along with others across California last week to help quell the outbreak, will remain shuttered through at least May 1.
The closures are a hardship for children and families in a state where 60% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals because they are members of low-income households. In Los Angeles public schools, the percentage is even higher, with 80% of students who qualify; in Compton, it’s 83%; Pomona, 89%.
“Students are learning in different ways, teachers are teaching in different ways and families are struggling to support their children in their studies while balancing other responsibilities,” Beutner said in a prepared statement. “I wish I could tell you it will all be back to normal sometime soon but it does not look like that will be the case.”
As of early Monday, more than 1,800 cases of coronavirus infection had been reported in California, and 35 people had died. The number of confirmed cases is expected to grow as more testing occurs statewide. Los Angeles County health officials on Sunday confirmed the fifth death from COVID-19. They also reported 71 new cases in the county, with the total now at 411.
