Empty streets of Theatreland and Soho in London

London's usually bustling Theatreland, in the city's West End, was deserted on Saturday night after the British government ordered all pubs, restaurants, theatres and cinemas to close in an effort to combat the new coronavirus.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said those venues, as well as nightclubs, gyms and leisure centers, should close and not reopen until further notice.

Johnson said the situation would be reviewed every month to see if the measures can be relaxed.

Britain had already asked people to avoid unnecessary contact with others and avoid pubs, restaurants and other venues, and urged Londoners to use public transport only for essential journeys.

The country lags behind Italy, Spain and France in the spread of the new coronavirus, but already its overstretched health system is creaking.

The UK’s state-funded National Health Service has about 4,000 critical care beds and some 5,000 ventilators, and officials say that's far fewer than will be needed as the number of cases spikes in the coming weeks.

On Thursday, a London hospital temporarily declared a “critical incident,” meaning it could take no more critically ill patients.

Unpublished NHS figures seen by The Guardian say the number of confirmed of suspected COVID-19 patients in intensive care in south London rose from seven on March 6 to 93 on March 17.

As of Saturday, the UK had confirmed 5,018 COVID-19 cases alongside 233 deaths.

Worldwide, the new virus has infected more than 307,100 people and killed more than 13,000.

More than 92,300 people have recovered so far, mostly in China.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.