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As the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths in California continues to rise, federal, state and local officials continue taking steps to tighten unprecedented restrictions on people’s movements in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner announced on Monday that schools, which closed along with others across California last week to help quell the outbreak, will remain shuttered through 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 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 a fifth death from the virus. They also reported 71 new cases in the county, with the total now 411.

To help cities in California beef up their response to the pandemic, President Trump on Sunday approved a request from Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a major disaster and for the federal government to provide “mass care,” emergency aid, unemployment assistance and disaster legal services.

The president said the Federal Emergency Management Agency would ship mobile hospital units to California within the next 48 hours. The state is in line to get eight of these units, for a total of 2,000 beds.

The Navy hospital ship the USNS Mercy, which is based in San Diego, will be deployed to Los Angeles. The ship can be stationed in the city in “a week or less,” FEMA administrator Peter Gaynor said. Though its facilities will not be used to treat COVID-19 patients, it will accept patients with other medical issues in an attempt to relieve the burden on hospitals, Gaynor said.

Trump also announced that he has signed paperwork to have the federal government pay for National Guard deployments in California, New York and Washington.

Newsom on Friday deployed the California National Guard to assist food banks statewide in serving residents whose needs have not been met due to food shortages.

The governor said the guard would focus on both humanitarian and public safety needs. Newsom specifically pointed out that the state wanted to ensure that “food delivery is happening appropriately” and expressed concern about grocery stores overwhelmed by customers hoarding food and other essential household goods.

California’s National Guard force of roughly 22,000 troops has often been activated in times of disaster and crisis, particularly in response to devastating wildfires and earthquakes.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged residents with disposable income to donate to the city’s emergency crisis response fund, which will help pay for childcare for medical workers, grants for families and individuals who need financial assistance and meals for seniors.

Garcetti on Sunday admonished Angelenos who haven’t taken orders to practice social distancing seriously, announcing the closure of the city’s golf courses, parking lots at Venice Beach and organized group sports at city parks as they have continued to attract throngs of people.

“This weekend we saw too many images of too many people crowding beaches or canyons beyond their capacity. Too many people, too close together, too often,” Garcetti said during his daily briefing on the impact of the novel coronavirus. “The longer we do that, the more people will get sick, and the more people will die. There’s no way to sugarcoat that.”

Starting Monday, parking lots near Venice Beach and the boardwalk will be closed, he said. In Santa Monica, the city also decided to close its beach parking lots.

On Sunday night, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced the closure of Long Beach’s public basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, as well as its dog parks, playgrounds and skate parks.

Officials in Orange County are also tightening regulations after groups of people descended on beaches and public trails over the weekend despite warnings about social distancing.

Laguna Beach city council voted in a closed session meeting Sunday night to close trail access to county wilderness parks as early as Monday morning. The council also directed staff to close all city beaches by Monday night and request that the county do the same for the stretches of sand in their jurisdiction.

“We were unanimous that these steps must be taken now in our city to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Laguna Beach Mayor Bob Whalen. “I urge everyone to comply with our actions for the health of everyone in our community and beyond.”

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority announced over the weekend that it was closing all of its parks and trails, which include the parkland owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Access roads and parking lots also will be closed. Many were packed over the weekend, as people — eager to get out of the house and into the warm weather after days of rain — flocked to the outdoor destinations.

In Marin County, health officials have also ordered the immediate closure of all county parks to stem the tide of visitors.

The measures build on Newsom’s sweeping order, issued Thursday, urging Californians to stay home — with a few exceptions — and put distance between themselves and others to slow the spread of COVID-19. Garcetti issued similar orders last week, which have closed most businesses in the city.

Many who flocked to public areas over the weekend insisted that they needed time outdoors in order to maintain their sanity.

Clifford Aquino and Ryan Castro, both 28, couldn’t go to their gyms in Cerritos, as they had closed under government orders. So they decided to go to Long Beach instead, where there are plenty of outdoor gyms and paths for running.

“This is only Day Two,” Castro said. “It sucks.”

“It does suck, but you have to find different ways to stay active,” Aquino replied.

Aquino said he feels safe using the machines because he’s able to keep a safe distance from others. If one area is too busy, he finds another, he said. He wipes down each machine with a Lysol wipe before using it.