A view shows the logo of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), after probationary staff at the OPM were fired in a conference call and given less than an hour to leave the building, outside OPM in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tierney L. Cross/File Photo

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)