The public health institute RIVM registered 4,924 positive coronavirus tests in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, down some 500 on Saturday and the first dip below the weekly average in four days.

The new figures take the total number of positive coronavirus tests in the Netherlands since the pandemic began last February to 945,000, out of a population of 17.4 million, news website Nu.nl said.

The Netherlands introduced a curfew on Saturday night with the aim of reducing socialising and so cutting the spread of the virus, particularly the more infectious variant first identified in Britain.

Police say the first night of the curfew went relatively smoothly despite trouble in Urk and Stein. Nevertheless, they still handed out 3,600 fines to people who were outside after 9pm without a valid reason and arrested 25.

The high number of fines is because of the strict approach which had been adopted from the word go, police spokesman Willem Woelders told the website.