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Federal agencies must now delete any records associated with COVID019 vaccination status, compliance with pandemic mandates or requests for vaccine exemptions, thanks to a new order from the Trump administration.
The order to delete the records was announced by the Office of Personnel Management in a memo to all heads of federal departments and agencies. Departments will have 90 days to comply; although individuals can request to have their information kept on file if they wish.
The memo explains that the order is a response to a number of legal cases against the government and also the Trump administration’s goal of reversing harmful policies adopted by President Biden during the pandemic.
Agencies are now barred from using an employee’s vaccine history in any employment-related decision, from hiring to termination.
“Things got out of hand during the pandemic, and federal workers were fired, punished, or sidelined for simply making a personal medical decision,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
“That should never have happened.”
“Thanks to President Trumpʼs leadership, weʼre making sure the excesses of that era do not have lingering effects on federal workers.”
In September 2021, President Biden signed an order forcing all federal workers to take a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.
By the time a federal judge blocked the mandate in January 2022, the administration said 98% of employees covered by the order had been vaccinated.
The order was finally rescinded in May 2023.
