WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued new guidance on Friday directing all federal agencies to eliminate any record of an employee’s COVID-19 vaccination status, prior noncompliance with vaccine mandates, or requests for exemptions from such mandates.

“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.”

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Leslie Adler)