The new face mask on Banksy's famous Girl with a Pierced Eardrum graffiti seems set to stay.
The Bristolian guerilla artist's parody of Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring painting first appeared on the side of an Albion Docks building at Bristol Harbourside in October 2014.
But passers-by have noticed a new feature on the mural in Hanover Place, which we reported on yesterday (April 22).
A blue face mask has been placed over the graffiti, in an apparent reference to the coronavirus pandemic.
It has not been confirmed as an official update by Banksy.
We asked Bristol City Council whether it is considering removing the mask, which has been placed on a specially protected "character building".
But a council spokesman said: "We are not aware of any complaints in relation to this piece of street art and currently see no reason to take any action.’’
The addition to the mural has come as the Government faces claims of a shortage of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
The Girl with a Pierced Eardrum is famous for replacing the Vermeer earring with an outdoor security alarm.
The building has a clock tower and is designated in the City Conservation Docks Area.
Bristol City Council rejected EE plans to install three new mobile phone masts on it last September.
Councillors voted by six to five against the proposals on the planning officer's recommendation.
The officer said the antennae would “unduly harm the character building".
One coronavirus-inspired work which certainly is Banksy's is a series of images he posted on Instagram last Wednesday.
He resurrected his popular stencils of rats, which have appeared in lots of his art, this time in his bathroom.
Banksy shared the pictures of the rodents wreaking havoc alongside the caption: “My wife hates it when I work from home."
