UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland -- The Prince George’s County Police Department has placed 25 officers on paid leave after banning beards to comply with the CDC's coronavirus guidelines.
Last year, Police Chief Hank Stawinski allow his officers to grow beards, but has now been forced to rescind that order at the request of the county health officer who says beards aren’t compatible with protective face masks, according to WJLA-TV.
Dr. Ernest Carter, the deputy health officer for the Prince George's County Health Department, says that the medically approved N-95 masks aren’t compatible with facial hair.
“We have to follow the CDC guidelines because it protects the officer, it protects his family and it protects the community," Carter told the news station. "And so that’s why I asked him to change that policy.”
When the new order went out, 25 mostly African-American officers claimed a medical exemption. Some of the officers have a condition called PFB (Pseudofolliculitis barbae), which prevents them from shaving.
To those officers, Stawinski sent a letter explaining that they would have to go on sick leave, which caused the officer’s union to threaten a lawsuit.
After hearing the officers concerns on Tuesday, the chief agreed that the bearded officers would go on paid health and safety leave. The officers will stay home until the health emergency is over.
