Community wardens will not be able to enforce the Netherlands’ compulsory face mask law for up to two weeks – because the paperwork is not complete.

‘Every fine is given what’s known as an offence code and that still hasn’t been sorted out administratively,’ Ruud Kruin, chair of the association of enforcement officials (BOAs) told NPO Radio 1.

From December 1 anyone over 13 who does not wear a mask in an indoor public space, such as a shop, council office, railway station, library or cinema, risks a €95 fine, reduced to €38 for under-16s.

Police officers are able to issue fines straight away, but officials said people would be spoken to rather than fined in the first couple of days. Individual municipalities can decide exactly how to enforce the rules.

‘I reckon it will take a week or two before we really start fining people,’ said Kuin.