DEDHAM (CBS) — Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife donated blood at the American Red Cross in Dedham Saturday amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Because we are now living in a time of extraordinary social distancing where virtually any gathering of that kind is simply not happening, it’s critical that we understand and recognize that one way or another we all need to bend a little bit to figure out how to make sure that god forbid some friend of ours, some neighbor, some family member, ends up in the hospital and needs blood for whatever their particular issue or illness might be, that blood will be there to serve them,” Baker said.

According to American Red Cross of Massachusetts CEO Holly Grant, over 200 Red Cross blood donation drives have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic in Massachusetts.

“As of last night, 220 blood drives have been canceled in Massachusetts alone, resulting in more than six thousand one hundred fewer donations available for our hospitals to use,” Grant said. “It’s something we’re seeing all over the country too.”

“You can give blood safely, it’s all done on an appointment basis, you can go to the Red Cross’s website they have a whole series of questions you need to answer, if you answer them properly you will be able to get a so-called rapid pass which will be sent to you via email on your phone and that becomes the vehicle that identifies you when you come to a place like this donor center to give blood,” Baker said.

Lauren Baker also encouraged healthy residents to do their part. “Please don’t be afraid,” she said.

The governor said he will not be tested for coronavirus because he is not showing any symptoms even after Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel tested positive for the virus Friday. According to Baker, he and Bharel have not been in the same building in the past week.

“Our goal is going to be to continue to make sure that if you have the criteria, under the CDC which is not an ‘and’ it’s an ‘or’ there are six different elements to that criteria you just need one of them, that people are getting tested,” Baker said.

President Trump approved Baker’s request for a disaster declaration in Massachusetts and ordered federal assistance to help with recovery in areas impacted by COVID-19.