NHS medical staff are being given a magical form of transport as Harry Potter buses are being used to transport them between hospitals.
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour at Leavesden Studios is currently closed because of COVID-19, and so the buses that are used to take visitors to the site are sitting empty. Warner Bros and the coach company Golden Tours have therefore decided to offer up these Harry Potter-themed buses to the NHS.
Creating a bit of magic
Although these workers won’t be able to catch the magically fast Knight Bus, the buses will help NHS staff travel between three sites run by the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust according to the Evening Standard. Those sites are Watford General, St Albans City and Hemel Hampstead hospitals. Social distancing rules will apply on the bus. The buses will run every hour and are completely free.
Paul da Gama from the West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust said that “Our workforce has been depleted due to sickness or self-isolation and so it’s really important that those staff who are well but have transport issues can come back.”
He explained that the trust has to “redeploy people into new roles” and so more workers are needed. These shuttle buses between the hospitals offers a “perfect solution.”
“Our staff might not be travelling to exotic locations or seeing behind the scenes of a major movie, but they will be making magic happen in their own way.”
Helping out key workers
A Warner Bros Studios Leavesden spokesperson said that they were “delighted to play a part in supporting our local NHS in this time of need.”
And the managing director of Golden Tours, Mikesh Palan said that “The priorities of the nation have changed completely as people learn to enjoy days in and not days out. But for key workers, staying home is not an option and we’re delighted to be able to help by providing a safe a reliable way to get to work and back.”
Those staying at home can also get some Harry Potter magic with the recently launched Harry Potter at Home website from the Wizarding World.
