Giant Buddhist goddess statue in Japan gets face mask to pray for end of Covid

A custom-made mask weighing 35kg was hoisted onto the face of a giant Buddhist statue in Japan as a way of praying for the end of the coronavirus pandemic.

Drone footage shows workers scaling the 57 metre-high statue of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy, on ropes. They unfurl the massive mask across her nose and mouth.

It took the workers three hours to heave up and install the mask.

The white statue, which is at a temple in Fukushima Prefecture, is set to keep the face covering until the pandemic is under control in Japan.