Blood Drives and Donation Centers Mask Guidance

The American Red Cross continues to assess our COVID-19 safety protocols and are now sharing that mask requirements at blood drives and donation centers will be removed effective April 25  for employees, volunteers, blood drive hosts and blood donors.  

With that being said, if a blood drive host has a mask requirement at their facility, Red Cross will honor that requirement. Red Cross will also accommodate mask requests from donors where close interaction occurs.

Employees and volunteers should bring requests for special mask considerations to the attention of their manager. There are many reasons individuals may need additional safety protocols during the pandemic, and as a humanitarian organization, Red Cross will continue to be understanding and caring to all. Safety remains our top priority.

Unvaccinated volunteers and employees with accommodations will continue to be required to wear masks. Local management will be responsible for enforcing this policy, as each manager has access to the vaccination status of their team members. 

For non-staff members at blood drives, the Red Cross is also in the process of developing new signage recommending unvaccinated and/or high-risk individuals wear masks.  

Of course, individuals may choose to continue to wear a mask for any reason and Red Cross will continue to make masks available for those in attendance at blood drives and donation centers. The Red Cross will also continue to socially distance wherever possible at our blood drives, donation centers and facilities in alignment with CDC guidance.