Scary photos show packed London tube trains despite pleas for people to stay home during the coronavirus outbreak

• British officials urged Londoners to avoid nonessential trips to stave off the spread of the coronavirus.
• But photos posted to Twitter showed crowded trains in some cases.
• More than 4,000 people have contracted the virus in the UK as of Friday afternoon.
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Some stations on London's Tube were closed Friday, but it didn't stop the remaining that were open to service from filling to the brim with passengers.

Despite pleas from officials to stay home - a practice being used around the world to "flatten the curve" or the spreading coronavirus - photos posted to Twitter by riders showed that many had chosen not to heed that advice.

Forty of the British capital's 270 stations on 11 lines closed from Thursday on. Overnight and some weekend tube services have also been suspended, The Guardian reported.

As of Friday afternoon, 4,000 people had been confirmed to have the coronavirus in the United Kingdom

"I'm urging Londoners to only use public transport for essential journeys," London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Twitter. "Everyone should follow this and the other advice to help keep themselves and each other safe."

It remains to be seen how many will heed his advice come Monday and over the weekend.

To be sure, the photos posted online could be the result of a service interruption or at the peak of a well-timed cross-platform transfer. Other photos online showed nearly deserted stations Friday evening.