Every adult who wants to be vaccinated against coronavirus will be fully protected by the beginning of September, health minister Hugo de Jonge has told television current affairs show WNL op Zondag.

And like Germany, the Netherlands will use mobile vaccination centres to reach people who may not otherwise get vaccinated, De Jonge said. By Sunday, an estimated 9.1 million doses of vaccine had been given in the Netherlands.

In addition, it is a ‘realistic’ to think that before the start of the new school year, most of the coronavirus measures in the Netherlands will have been abandoned, De Jonge said. This would include the 1.5 metre rule and face masks.

Nevertheless people must remain alert and not be over optimistic, the minister said. ‘You have to keep to 1.5 metres distance as long as you have not been vaccinated.’

On Friday, De Jonge and prime minister Mark Rutte outlined the next two steps in the government’s plan to reopen Dutch society, starting on June 5.