For those unsure if you can leave the house to give blood with the NSW Government's restrictions in place during the coronavirus pandemic, the answer is you can.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The Australian Red Cross Mobile Blood Van is continuing to make its way around to regional towns during this crisis and will be visiting Parkes this week from Monday, April 6 to Thursday, April 9.
And their need for more donations right now is crucial.
Red Cross promotions volunteer Jim Griffiths said the service has had a very high cancellation rate because of the pandemic.
"But the blood bank is still open... We are still running full scale," he said.
"Our cancellation rate is much higher than normal and that's because of changing circumstances, medical situations or people forgetting."
An individual can now face hefty fines for leaving their home without a "reasonable excuse", but donating blood has been listed by the government as an activity that's acceptable.
- Visit our coronavirus section on our website to keep up-to-date with the latest on the pandemic here.
"It is an essential service and you can leave your house to visit the mobile unit and make your donation," Mr Griffiths said.
"It is vital we keep this service going."
Mr Griffiths said the mobile unit is "fully prepared" to comply with all the social distancing regulations.
He also said if people needed to cancel, to please let them know by calling 13 14 95 so they can fill the gap.
"In all circumstances we generally do have a waiting list so if people can let us know so we can fill the vacancy," he said.
"We would love to see everyone if they can make it.
"Call 13 14 95 to make an appointment or just go down to the van."
The Mobile Blood Van will be in the Little Theatre car park on the corner of Bogan and Dalton streets between 9.30am and 2.45pm.
It will also return to Parkes in July from the 6th to the 8th.
Within the Orange region, the mobile van will be in Forbes from May 4-6, Blayney June 11, Cowra June 22-24, Grenfell June 25, Canowindra June 29 and Molong June 30.
READ MORE:
