Well here is another little FACT, ratter than conjecture. The Voyager aircrew O2 masks have written on the seals themselves “BEARDS WILL NOT SEAL” - so if you were going to be held personally responsible for the decision to allow Aircrew to go against the manufacturer’s warning, what would you do? I also understand that RJ has similar masks and probably other types too.
The latest dictat is supposed to be temporary until RAFCAM can scientifically quantify the risk, I don’t honestly believe there is anything more reasonable that can be done without the evidence. We moved away from “it’ll be alright” after the Nimrod et al and so this latest issue is no different.