Maharashtra faces an acute shortage of blood due to the 3-week lockdown to prevent the novel coronavirus from spreading.
At present, there is a ban on organizing blood donation camps.
While there is no blood requirement for Covid-19 patients, other patients including those who undergo dialysis need it.
State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the state’s stock of blood will last one seven to eight days and appealed people to come forward to donate at blood banks.
"Covid-19 does not spread through blood. But one needs to take care of cleanliness and hygiene while donating blood," he said.