In the small German town of Gross-Gerau, you don't go to the drive-through for a burger and fries. You go to get tested for the novel coronavirus.

Policemen stand in front of a minibus of the German Red Cross (DRK) parked at the hospital in Berlin Kopenick. (Photo: AFP)

Designed to minimise exposure to medical staff and patients, the drive-in at the local hospital is one of several unexpected ways healthcare providers are tackling a fast-spreading outbreak that has killed over 500 people across Europe.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary solutions," doctor Roxana Sauer, a medical director at Gross-Gerau District Hospital, told AFP.

Since last week, suspected patients have been able to call ahead and consult a physician by phone, who decides whether they should be tested.

The person is then assigned a time slot and asked to park outside a side entrance of the hospital, where they are met by a doctor clad head to toe in protective gear.

After rolling down the car window, the potential patient is swabbed in the mouth or nostril before driving off again. 

Their sample is sent to a lab which returns the result within 24 hours, of which the person is notified by phone.

Similar drive-through testing sites have sprung up in other German hospitals in recent days, as well as in South Korea, the United States and Britain.

"People love that it can be done so quickly and easily," said Sauer.

The hospital's managing director Erika Raab added: "For Germans, the car is their safe space, it's where they feel comfortable."