Fans are to be banned from football matches, bars will close at 10pm and only essential travel will be permitted to and from Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague as the government tries to stop the steep rise in coronavirus infections.

The new measures were leaked ahead of a press conference at 7pm on Monday in which prime minister Mark Rutte and health minister Hugo de Jonge will confirm that the rules are being stepped up nationwide.

Previously ministers said the effort to contain the outbreak would be organised on a regional basis in future to prevent areas with low infections suffering as a result of a high concentration of cases in the cities.

Senior ministers have been meeting members of the Outbreak Management Team on Monday to discuss how to curtail the spread of infections.

The number of cases per day rose to nearly 3,000 over the weekend, while hospital admissions and intensive care occupancy have started to rise in the last two weeks.

NOS reported that all bars, restaurants and cafes would have to close from 10pm and turn away new customers from 9pm.

Essential journeys only

Working from home will also be more strictly enforced, with businesses facing temporary closure if they fail to adhere to the guidelines.

Only essential journeys to the three largest cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague will be permitted, with exceptions.

So-called ‘contact professions’ such as hairdressers and physiotherapists will be required to take details of customers so they can be alerted in the event of a positive test.

Shoppers in supermarkets will be required to use trolleys that have been disinfected for each customer.

The measures are expected to come into force from 6pm on Tuesday and be reassessed after three weeks.

DutchNews.nl is live tweeting from the news conference via Twitter.