The Zimbabwean First Lady has invited women in the country to join her for three days of prayer and fasting over the Covid-19 pandemic.

Auxillia Mnangagwa said she would fast and pray from Thursday till Saturday for Zimbabwe to be "spared from further calamity".

She urged women to ensure their families observe Covid-19 safety guidelines to prevent the virus from spreading further.

"We need a plan at the household level for regularly using any means at our disposal to clean and sanitise our homes, to ensure that everyone in the home knows the importance of having a mask and masking up properly.

"More importantly to organise sharp safe errands for our requirements to get going whilst enforcing the family to stay at home," she said in a statement.

Zimbabwe has lost 879 people to coronavirus, including top government officials with the most recent death being that of Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo.

The country has recorded 29,408 confirmed cases of the virus with 19,253 people already recovered.