Some men with beard say they will take off their facial hairs for protection against Coronavirus (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
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They told NAN in separate interviews on Saturday in Lagos that they would shave the hair for the safety of their health.
Mr Benjamin Danielson, a Logistics Officer, who described his plan to shave his beards as `tough’, said he would do so to avoid getting infected.
Danielson said: “It is always good to be informed; with a lot of bacteria out there these days, it is good to be aware of the precautionary measures.
“It is tough but yes, I will shave it because health is wealth.
“What is the whole point of you having heavy beard and then you are sick and then die?
“Meanwhile try and avoid congested areas, where there’s so much crowd because the chances of getting infected from such places is higher,” he said.
He urged others in the beard gang to consider shaving it off and grow it later when the risk of infection became less.
Also, Mr Haruna Adaji, a businessman said for him, `prevention is better than cure’ and he owed nobody any explanation on whether or not to keep beard.
Adaji added that he would shave his beard completely if that was what it would take to protect him from Covid-19 and other diseases.
“I wear face masks for now but it is not covering everything properly; I’m about to trim my beards so it can fit and protect me against Coronavirus.
“I also wash my hands regularly and if I shake anyone or give knuckles, I use hand sanitisers,” he said.
However, Oladele Eniola, a journalist, said he was not willing to shave his beard but would rather observe other precautionary measures, apart from the use of face masks.
Eniola noted that basic hygiene including regular hand washing and using hand sanitisers, avoiding touching of the face, nose and mouth could also prevent one from getting infected.
“As a matter of fact, I don’t think I want to use face masks since I wear beard; it is not going to be effective.
“The first thing for me is to avoid going to crowded places like parties so I have reduced going out and have less contact with people sneezing and coughing,” he said.
Eniola further advised people with beard to always trim, wash, oil or moisturise, comb to make it shine and look neat.