For more than a month, bars, restaurants, and cultural venues have been closed, while strict quarantine rules have shut a quarter of primary school classes in the Netherlands.

The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening comes despite record new coronavirus infection levels, as hospitalisations from the country's Omicron wave have been lower than initially feared.

“We are taking a big step today to unlock the Netherlands while the infections numbers are really going through the roof,” Rutte told a news conference in The Hague, saying the move was not without risks.

The announcement wasn't all good news for the beleaguered hospitality and cultural sectors, with the opening hours limited to 10 pm, while professional sports teams will only be allowed to fill stadiums to a third of their normal capacities.

Football clubs and administrators protested against the move even before it was officially announced, calling it in a joint statement "a proposal without perspective".

Pressure from local politicians has pushed Rutte's government to ease the restrictions, especially after mayors from 30 municipalities petitioned the government last week.

There have been widespread protests by business owners ranging from the Van Gogh Museum to local cafes at being excluded from am earlier easing of pandemic restrictions.

"I can't explain why here in Breda IKEA is open but the theatre, where people can safely watch a performance, is closed," said Breda's mayor Paul Depla, speaking before the announcement.

The Dutch national public health institute reported a 51% rise in new COVID-19 cases over the last week to more than 366,000, while intensive care admissions dropped by 34%.

No easing of coronavirus measures in Germany

In neighbouring Germany, a meeting between federal leaders and chancellor Olaf Scholz concluded that high infection rates left no room to relax the current tight restrictions on private gatherings and large meetings.

"It is time to stay the course," German chancellor Olaf Scholz said in Berlin on Monday, for whom it became apparent that the access restrictions that have been in place for months should remain in place in the workplaces, on buses, trains, restaurants, and shops.

Scholz was echoed by the State Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wuest, who added that "experts of the federal government are considering an overload of the health system."

"The council of experts has given a clear warning: the infection trend requires the maintenance of and the strict adhesion to the current measures," Wuest went on.