COVID-19 – Should I Shave My Beard

Wait! Don’t shave your beard off. A lot of people are starting to shave their faces due to this COVID-19 scare. I mean who would blame them if they did. I mean it is not like the internet has ever been wrong before….

Should You Shave Your Beard

Should you shave off your beard? This is a question raised among the Bearded community partially due to an infographic from the Center for Disease Control or CDC that features guidelines for facial hair in extreme detail. However, as Thomas Russo, a doctor at the Buffalo VA Medical Center and the chief of infectious diseases at the State University of New York at Buffalo medical school explained to the media this was a guideline for medical professionals who wear N-95 masks.

“For healthcare providers, beards present a problem because getting a good, tight fit for N-95 masks is difficult,” Russo stated. He also stated that “Certainly, big fluffy beards are a big problem because unless they’re trimmed way back, you might not be able to get a good seal, making it not effective.”

However, there is still much to be learned from this new Pandemic. People are now taking more care and caution toward all manners of normal life to reduce the spread of this new disease. You must understand, that wearing a mask is only a preventable measure for those who have the disease. The only thing that wearing a protective mask does for someone who is not infected is keep them from touching their face. Now if you choose to wear an N-95 mask then it would be understandable that you would feel inclined to trim your facial fuzz. However, if you choose to wear any other protective facial mask shaving your beard is not necessary.