Returnees from Italy are not allowed to donate blood for four weeks

Anyone who has just returned from a vacation in Italy must not donate blood in the next four weeks. This can also apply to other holidaymakers.

Munich (dpa) - To protect against further infections with the novel corona virus, returning travelers from Italy may not donate blood to the blood donation services of the German Red Cross and the Bavarian Red Cross for four weeks.

The time span will be calculated from the return, said spokesman Patric Nohe. For travelers from all over the People's Republic of China as well as from North and South Korea, the ban has been four weeks in any case, however, due to the Chikungunya virus.

It can be transmitted by mosquitoes and cause chikungunya fever. "The incubation period of the novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) is up to 14 days and is therefore also covered by this measure," said Nohe.

After stays abroad, there are often blackout periods until the next blood donation. Depending on the travel destination, length of stay and travel time, these waiting times ranged from four weeks to six months after return. The DRK's blood donation services cover 75 percent of the nationwide need for blood supplies. The coronavirus has not yet restricted it.