London's iconic underground system, the Tube, which started ferrying people around the capital in 1863 and which operated throughout World War II, has closed 40 stations in the battle against the novel coronavirus.

Transport for London said on Thursday morning the closures would start immediately. It said nighttime tube services would halt, and there would be fewer buses on the capital's streets.

London's mayor, Sadiq Khan, said people should not need the lost services.

"I can't say this clearly enough," Khan said. "People should not be traveling by any means, unless they absolutely must."

The capital has been much harder hit by the virus, and the COVID-19 respiratory disease it causes, than the rest of the country, and public transport has been quieter since the government told people to work from home, avoid socializing, and then ordered schools to close.

But Downing Street is insisting public transport will not be completely parked.

The prime minister's official spokesman told the BBC: "There are no plans to close down the transport network in London and there is zero prospect of any restrictions being placed on traveling in and out of London."

Other public transport companies, including National Express, Northern Trains, TransPennine Express, and South Western Railway, have also cut services.

Following Wednesday's school closure announcement, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said on BBC Breakfast on Thursday that he will share details of how people in key jobs, such as healthcare workers and law enforcement officers, will be able to send their children to pared-down schools after the closures, so parents can focus on their work. He will also make an announcement on Friday about how students will be graded for end-of-year exams.

The UK also learned on Thursday it will get a new military unit dedicated to helping in the virus fight. Ben Wallace, the defense minister, said it will support public services and can draw upon 20,000 soldiers.

Also on Thursday, the Bank of England cut interest rates, from 0.25 percent to 0.1 percent in an attempt to support the UK economy in the face of the pandemic.

The UK government unveiled a draft on Thursday of the emergency powers it says it needs to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak. The proposed new law, which will be debated in Parliament next week, allows the government to close airports, detain people on public health grounds, and force people into isolation.

During Thursday's daily briefing, with the total number of UK deaths at 137 and after Queen Elizabeth II issued a message of support to the nation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked all of those working to defeat the virus.

"I do think, looking at it all, that we can turn the tide within the next 12 weeks and I'm also absolutely confident we can send the coronavirus packing in this country," he said

Elsewhere in Europe, the European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, who was in the midst of talks with the UK on a possible future trade deal, has tweeted that he has tested positive for the virus.

In Spain, the Health Ministry reported 209 new deaths, bringing the total there to 767. The nation now has the fourth-highest death toll, after Italy, China and Iran.

The situation was so bad, according to the Guardian newspaper, that Javier Marion, the director of health in the Aragon region, broke down in tears while talking on Wednesday to reporters about the situation.

Italy reported 427 more deaths in a 24-hour period, overtaking China's toll, and the government has extended the duration of the national lockdown. France and Germany have also said they are mulling more stringent curfews.

The crisis in Europe led the European Central Bank to make 750 billion euros ($820 billion) available to support sovereign bonds and corporate debt in the Eurozone, a move that was welcomed by the financial markets.

Other contributions have been gratefully received, including those of Chinese medical teams that have flooded into virus-ravaged Italy.

The latest team to arrive in the county, touched down on Wednesday afternoon. Associated Press said it comprised 37 doctors and paramedics and 20 metric tons of equipment.

Sun Shuopeng, vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, who worked closely with China's National Health Commission to form the team, said the arrivals headed straight for Padova, in the northern region of Lombardy, because the virus is strongest there.

"It is important for us to know what is going on in Padova, especially the number of affected people, how the hospital operates and if there are enough medical resources," he told the Xinhua news agency, while noting the first signs were good.

"We noticed several positive things here in Padova," he said. "For one, the city is implementing a strategy similar to what we call in China the 'Four Earlies'-early detection, early reporting, early isolation and early treatment."

But despite the good practices, Bloomberg said on Thursday that Europe has now surpassed China, both in the number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases-85,000 compared to China's 80,900-and in terms of deaths, with Italy suffering more than 3,400 compared to China's 3,200.