The Dutch curfew will start at the later time of 10pm from Wednesday evening but will continue to end at 4.30am.

The curfew, introduced on January 23 in an effort to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases, will run until at least mid April, when the government next assesses what needs to be done.

Regional safety boards had called for the change because of the likely difficulty in enforcing the earlier deadline, saying people would spend longer outdoors now the Netherlands has moved over to summer time.

The extended deadline coincides with what is set to be the hottest day of the year so far. The KNMI weather bureau says the temperature will reach up to 24 Celsius in the south of the country.

On Tuesday, Amsterdam’s Vondel park and others across the country were closed as people flocked outdoors to take advantage of the balmy spring weather.

Thursday will be much cooler in the north, but temperatures could still top 20 Celsius in Limburg, the KNMI said.