Blood drives across the state continue to face a critical shortage in donations during the COVID-19 outbreak. To help alleviate the shortage, the Mall of America will be hosting a pair of blood drives in April. 

The first is April 7-8 inside the North Atrium of the MOA. You can reserve a time to donate blood right here. The atrium will be open to donors from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days. The same set up guidelines will feature the second blood drive April 17-18.

Donors will arrive at the North Atrium and go through a wellness check before they're allowed to donate. Staff will ask health questions and then take your temperature to make sure you don't have a fever. 

Once inside, all donor stations will be at least six feet apart to follow social distancing guidelines. Hand sanitizer will be readily available for everyone. Once you leave, staff will sanitize the donation station before the next person arrives. 

The blood shortage has been ongoing for weeks, with the American Red Cross announcing on March 17 that more than 2,700 blood drives had been canceled, resulting in excess of 86,000 fewer blood donations. 

Healthy people are encouraged to donate blood as soon as possible. You can do so by scheduling an appointment at a location near you by visiting the Minnesota Red Cross website, using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.