COPENHAGEN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Danish parliament passed emergency epidemic legislation before midnight on Thursday, giving the government far-reaching powers to contain the COVID-19 spread.

According to the new legislation, the authorities are able to ban all public gatherings of more than 100 people in the country.

The new law also empowers the authorities to enforce the treatment of people suspected of infection, so that hospitals can prioritize treatment of COVID-19 cases.

Moreover, it gives authorities the right to further restrict public transportation if necessary, and close public institutions, supermarkets, other stores and elderly care homes and hospitals.

"Now we can get started with the things here that our experts say we need to get started, and which the whole of Europe is now also working on," said Danish Health Minister Magnus Heunicke to the parliament.

The law was passed with 95 of the 179 members of parliament present because of the restriction on gatherings.

"It is a very far-reaching law, and it has been a very serious day where we have had to make some difficult decisions, because the country is in a serious situation, which has also called for some drastic decisions," Spokesman on Health for the Liberal Party (Venstre) Martin Geertsen said to the press immediately after the vote.

As of Thursday, there have been 674 confirmed cases in Denmark, including two in the Faroe Islands.