A Dutch court has ordered the government to immediately scrap the night-time curfew imposed to fight the coronavirus, ruling that it lacks proper legal basis.

The court order deals a blow to the government's response to the Covid-19 crisis, as it has repeatedly said the measure was needed to prevent a surge of new infections due to more contagious new mutations of the virus.

But the court sided with an anti-lockdown group's request that it be scrapped, finding that the government had failed to make clear why it was absolutely necessary to use emergency powers at this stage of the pandemic, as the infection rate was already dropping when the measure went into effect.

The curfew, which allows only people with a pressing need to be outdoors between 9pm and 4:30am, was extended last week until at least March 3.