The Dutch government has advised single people to find a 'sex buddy' for intimacy during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.

The health ministry issued the guidelines saying that single people should come to an arrangement with another person, but the two should avoid having sex if either of the two are suspicious of having Covid-19, BBC reported.

It makes sense that as a single person you also want to have physical contact" during the pandemic, its health ministry said on May 14.

"Discuss how best to do this together. For example, meet with the same person to have physical or sexual contact (for example, a cuddle buddy or 'sex buddy'), provided you are free of illness," the guidance says.

"Make good arrangements with this person about how many other people you both see. The more people you see, the greater the chance of (spreading) the coronavirus."

Netherlands has been under lockdown since March 23. However, the lockdown norms have been less stringent there than in other countries. It allowed small gatherings with social distancing norms.

Netherlands has joined several European countries in announcing the easing of its coronavirus lockdown, outlining a four-month plan to phase out social restrictions if the virus remains under control.

The lifting of measures will begin next week and will be expanded in stages through September 1, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday evening. He said the measures could be ramped back up, however, if there is a resurgence of infections.

If on the other hand the number of COVID-19 cases continues to fall, lockdown restrictions could be further lifted in September to include gyms, saunas, sex clubs, coffee shops and casinos, Rutte said.

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the Netherlands rose by 232 to 41,319 on Wednesday, with 36 new deaths for a total of 5,204, the National Institute for Health (RIVM) said in its daily update.