KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala and local religious leaders have declared Thursday a day of prayer for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zikalala on Monday met a group of church leaders under the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council (KZNCC), where a decision to hold a one-hour prayer was reached.

He said the provincial government would ensure that stringent measures of prevention  outlined by the department of health were followed.

“We have agreed to dedicate March 26 as a day of prayer where people will pray in their respective churches and we as government will also participate. So we believe that we are together and issues that have been raised will be taken further,” said Zikalala.

Pastor Nkosinathi Mnyaka, the chairperson of the council, asked all citizens to pray for an hour.

“We know what the government’s directives are about the coronavirus and the KZN Christian Council respects all the directives, so this will not be a prayer of many people,” said Mnyaka.

“We are appealing to all the people to observe a prayer wherever they are — in a manner that will not go against the directives.”

Zikalala welcomed the position taken by religious leaders to embrace the directives from President Cyril Ramaphosa, which encourage social distancing and prohibit gatherings of more than 100 people.

The province is the third-hardest hit in SA, with 60 cases. The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in SA rose to 402 on Monday.