The Dutch are becoming increasingly divided in their attitude to the government’s strategy to deal with coronavirus, according to research by Markteffect and commissioned by the AD.

In total, 1,077 people were questioned for the research, just ahead of Tuesday’s crunch press conference.

Of them, four in 10 said they did not have any confidence in the cabinet and public health institute RIVM strategy. In March, just 15% of a similar representative group said they had no faith in the official policy.

The criticism comes from both sides, the AD said. On one hand, 43% say the government is not doing enough to combat the virus – compared with just 22% in the March survey.

But on the other hand, 33% say they don’t understand the need for tougher measures, compared with fewer than 17% in March. And three in 10 in the current survey say the measures are too limiting to individual freedom.

Coronavirus in the Netherlands: what you need to know

The government on Tuesday announced several new ‘get tough’ measures in an effort to stop the rise in the number of new coronavirus cases, particularly among the under 30s.

And a court in Amsterdam ruled on Wednesday that the city is not contravening citizen’s basic rights by asking them to wear face masks in busy areas of the capital.