The death toll from coronavirus in the Netherlands rose by 63 to 276 overnight, the public health institute RIVM said in its Tuesday update.

A further 811 people have tested positive for coronavirus, taking the total positive tests to 5,560. Almost 1,500 people have been or are still hospitalised.

The death toll in recent days has increased by between 30 and 40 and this is by far the highest daily rise recorded so far. However, the RIVM said there are various reasons why this could be and that not all patients are registered as having died on the same day.

‘This variation in the figures says nothing about the impact of the measures introduced in mid March,’ the RIVM said. ‘We expect this to become clear at the end of this week or the beginning of the next.’

On Monday the government announced a new string of measures in an effort to stop the disease spreading and to protect the elderly and the vulnerable.

These include a ban on all formal gatherings up to June 1, and the introduction of fines for people who do not keep 1.5 metres apart from others.