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| - As so called party buses are in short demand due to Covid-19 restrictions, a suburb of Copenhagen decided to convert one into a mobile testing centre, putting a musical spin on virus testing. In the suburb of Glostrup, to the west of Denmark's capital, the town's mayor John Engelhardt explained on Wednesday that "it takes very little," to convert the buses normally reserved for events like bachelor parties and hen dos. "Party buses are not used for parties as everything is dead in this area at the moment, so these buses are available," Engelhardt told AFP. Now fitted for nurses to be able test for Covid-19, the bus still retains the neon lights and sparkly disco ball. Though alcohol is no longer served aboard, the speakers are still used to play music, contributing to a very different atmosphere compared to what you might expect at a typical clinic. In line with the government's strategyand o encourage Danes to get tested regularly even when not showing symptoms, the aim is to make testing available to as many people as possible by bringing the test facility to the workplace. On Wednesday, the bus had several stops, among them two schools. "We are more exposed as teachers. With the party bus, you are safer," 32-year-old teacher Julie told AFP. "It's easier to do it here, rather than going to a centre after work," her colleague Sine added, saying she found the atmosphere "cosy". The combination of music and lights has even encouraged staff to get up for the odd dance between patients. "It's fun to be at work and listen to music and see the lights," testing manager on the bus Theresa Kay-Heeno said. But she stressed that health protocols were not sacrificed. "The quality of the testing and the hygiene is top priority," she said. In five days, 1,500 people have been tested in the bus, which will remain in service "for as long as we need it", according to Engelhardt. Denmark, which has been in partial lockdown since Christmas, reopened primary schools on Monday as the number of new cases has slowed down. However, non-essential shops, bars and restaurants, cultural venues, secondary schools, colleges and universities remain closed. cbw/map/jll/har
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