The Dutch foreign ministry has added the Belgian city and province of Antwerp to its list of European destinations where there is a higher risk of becoming infected with coronavirus.

Code orange means that all but essential travel to the area should be avoided and that holidaymakers who are there should return home as soon as possible. They are also urged to go into quarantine for 14 days on their return.

The province, which has a population of 1.8 million, borders on the Dutch provinces of Noord-Brabant and Zeeland and there is considerable cross-border movement, both for work and shopping.

Antwerp is also introducing an evening curfew and is making face masks compulsory in public places, broadcaster NOS said.

On Monday, the Netherlands also put Barcelona on the code orange list.

Health minister Hugo de Jonge made it clear on Monday that people in jobs who visit a code orange country will not be entitled to paid leave from work while they go into isolation on their return.