Ministers on Tuesday said they would not relax the current raft of measures aimed at reducing the rise in new coronavirus cases, and will bring in new rules before the Christmas break if the figures continue to rise.

This means no more than three guests (excluding the under 13s) at dinner, shopping on line as much as possible and not traveling abroad for the celebrations unless absolutely necessary.

Here is a round up of the rules as they now stand.

Daily life:

• You may have no more than three visitors to your home in a 24 hour period, excluding children under the age of 13. This means no more than three visitors, excluding young children, for Christmas dinner.
• Group sizes in public places and spaces should be no more than four, from mixed households
• Working from home is to become the norm again
• Tickets for museums, amusement parks and cinemas should be bought in advance
• Face masks have been compulsory in public indoor places since December 1

Hospitality sector

• Cafes, bars and restaurants in the Netherlands remain shut but they may open for takeaways
• Hotels may continue to serve food to their guests and cafes may remain open past airport security gates
• Cannabis cafes will also be closed, but open for takeaway up to 8pm.
• It will be an offence to use or carry alcohol and cannabis products in public places between 8pm and 7am.

Shops

• Shops apart from food stores must close at 8pm and people are being urged to shop alone
• Local mayors have the power to close shops or shopping areas if they become too busy, and to take other measures to divert crowds

Travel

• You should travel as little as possible and if you go away, stay at your holiday address as much as possible
• For travel abroad, see advice issued by the Dutch foreign affairs ministry
• Most European countries are now at least orange, which means all but essential travel should be avoided
• If you arrive in the Netherlands back from an orange country, you should go into quarantine for 10 days even if you have been tested or don’t have any symptoms

Quarantine

• Only family members or other people that you live with may be at home with you and you must stay 1.5 metres away from them as much as possible. This means no hugging, kissing or sex
• Nobody may visit you, except for medical purposes
• If you need medical assistance, do not go to the doctor or the hospital, but phone the doctor instead
• Ask other people to do grocery shopping for you or order your groceries online
• You can sit outside if you have a garden or balcony
• Do not go to your place of work, but work from home
• Do not use public transport or taxis.