Beards were allowed in public sector. Everyone talked about this as freedom and the issue was thought to be closed. But the issue is not that simple. It may not be right for the state to interfere with people's faces. But the public sector is not a uniform area. Completely different jobs are done under the same roof. And some jobs require boundaries by nature.
The operating room, for example. It's not a field of choice, it's a field of results. Every detail you call small has a price. The fit of the mask to the face, the control of the environment, the slightest negligence... The patient pays the price. The beard is not outside this picture. Facial hair does not behave like smooth skin. It traps particles, increasing the risk of shedding. More importantly, in masks that require sealing, it can disrupt the exact fit with the face. So it's not about aesthetics, it's about safety.
This is why the approach is clear in many countries. In the operating room and high-risk areas, the beard is either completely removed or completely covered and work is not allowed until mask compliance is verified. Because there is no such thing as being okay there.
In Turkey, the situation is clear but incomplete. There is no explicit beard ban. On the other hand, operating room rules require the beard to be completely covered. In other words, the same system, on the one hand, allows and, on the other hand, actually limits it in the field. And this is where the problem starts. There is no clear, binding and uniform standard.
It is also important to distinguish this. Not every field is the same. In outpatient clinics, administrative work or areas where the risk is lower, the same strictness may not be required. But in high-risk environments such as the operating room, it is not a matter of preference.
In my own practice, I ask my assistants to shave their beards because the nature of the job requires it. But this is no longer an obligation. Since it is considered a legal right, it is up to them to choose whether or not to apply it. There are those who accept it and those who do not.
The beard itself is not the issue here. The issue is the standard. When the standard is lost, everyone brings their own truth. And in areas like health, that's not diversity, that's risk.
And this is not limited to medicine. In food production, the beard is either covered or restricted. Beards are often forbidden in the fire brigade, in jobs with chemical exposure, in military fields. The reason is very simple. If the mask does not fit, life is at risk. In such critical areas, no one discusses this as a personal preference.
And what happened with us? A general decision of freedom was taken. But the internal dynamics of professions were not taken into account. The same rule was applied to areas with different levels of risk.
But the solution is not difficult. It is not a matter of prohibitions, but of distinctions.
Operating rooms and high-risk areas
or there will be no beard
or full closure and verify the fit of the mask used
This rule will be in writing
The person responsible will be identified
And will be monitored for implementation
In other areas, liberalization may continue.
This is not a ban. It is a limit in accordance with the nature of the work.
Otherwise, what we call freedom becomes someone else's risk.
Beards may be allowed in the public sector. But it does not mean that it is appropriate for every post. This decision should be reconsidered on a task-by-task basis.
Because public service is not personal space.
And in some professions
not freedom
Clear standards save lives.