Churches in Ireland have encouraged people to come together on Palm Sunday to pray between 15:00 and 16:00 BST
Arlene Foster has spoken to some churches who are calling for the buildings to be reopened.
Rev Heather Morris, general secretary of the Methodist Church in Ireland told the BBC she did not think the buildings needed to be opened.
“We are asking people to pray virtually – a building being open is not necessary for us to pray,“ she said.
She said challenging times like these lead even those who are not normally praying people to “ask questions of God”.
She said the church wanted to do whatever it could to help and had been involved in community initiatives helping deliver prescriptions and food.
Eamon Martin, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland said in “anxious and fearful” times people turn to God and each other.
He added he hoped the call to prayer would be a call to calm and solidarity.