Nearly 10,000 people tested for Covid-19 since June 1 expansion

In total, 9,574 coronavirus tests have been carried out by local health boards in the two days since everyone with symptoms has been able to request a check, officials said on Wednesday.

On June 1, testing was opened to everyone with even mild symptoms of the disease as part of a systematic plan to trace the spread of the virus. Of the tests completed so far, just 94 people have been found to have Covid-19.

Officials dealt with 320,000 phone calls on Monday, when the telephone hotline (0800-1202) opened for business. More appointments were made for Tuesday than for Monday and officials say they expect the number of tests carried out to continue to rise. The aim is to deliver results within 48 hours.

The official Dutch coronavirus death toll rose by 10 to 5,977 on Wednesday and nine more people were admitted to hospital. There have been no new cases in two weeks in some 25% of the Netherlands local authority areas.