Guidelines for handling COVID-19 records
Most COVID-19 records relate to staff immunisation programs and security for premises. These can be sentenced according to the General Retention and Disposal Authority for administrative records (GA28) or local government records (GA39). The Health sector may also use GDA17 and GDA21. In short, handle COVID-19 records as you would normally.
Identifying and retrieving COVID-19 records
It’s important to make sure that COVID-19 records can be easily identified and found in your agency’s records management system. We recommend adding a clear tag, like ‘COVID-19’ or something similar, to help identify these records. This will make it easier to retrieve and export them if needed in the future.
Scenarios
Scenarios for handling Covid-19 records.
Your agency has changed its telecommunicating policy and other operational procedures due to new social-distancing requirements arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
General authority: administrative records (GA28) - Policies
19.15.1 Strategic management - Policy | Final, approved versions of the organisation's policies on cross-functional or organisation-wide matters, for example, equal employment opportunity policies, fraud control policies, internal circulars, code of conduct, and associated correspondence indicating who the policies apply to and responsibilities for their implementation. | Retain minimum of 7 years after policy is superseded, then destroy |
19.15.2 Strategic management - Policy | Records relating to the development and review of the organisation's policies on cross-functional or organisation-wide matters, for example, equal employment opportunity policies, fraud control policies, internal circulars, codes of conduct. Records include:
| Retain minimum of 3 years after action completed, then destroy |
General authority: administrative records (GA28) - Procedures
19.16.1 Strategic management - Procedures | Final, approved versions of manuals, handbooks and directives detailing the organisation's procedures on cross-functional or organisation-wide matters, for example, equal employment opportunity, fraud control, quality assurance, and associated correspondence indicating who the procedures apply to and responsibilities for their implementation. | Retain minimum of 5 years after procedures are superseded, then destroy |
19.16.2 Strategic management - Procedures | Records relating to the development and review of the organisation's manuals, handbooks, directives and detailing the organisation's procedures on cross-functional or organisation-wide matters, for example, equal employment opportunity, fraud control, quality assurance. Records include:
| Retain minimum of 3 years after action completed, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found under the General retention and disposal authority: local government records GA39 corporate management – Policy 4.12 and Procedures-4.13.
Your agencies management send out regular updates to staff and/ or to the public on how policies and projects are affected by Covid-19 pandemic.
General retention and disposal authority: administrative records (GA28)- Advice to staff
15.1.1 Personnel - Advice | Records relating to the provision of advice and assistance to employees about employment conditions, career, personal matters, trauma, finances, salaries and superannuation. Includes orientation advice for new employees and rehabilitation or return to work assistance not related to a compensation case. Records include notes and reports. | Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
Advice to general public: GA28
2.15.1 Community relations - Media relations | Final, approved versions of media releases issued by the organisation. | Required as State archives |
2.15.2 Community relations - Media relations | Records relating to administrative arrangements concerning the organisation's dealings with the media including the distribution of media releases, organisation of interviews and general media access. | Retain minimum of 2 years after action completed, then destroy |
2.15.3 Community relations - Media relations | Copies of media items relating to the organisation's operations or events and functions hosted by or involving the organisation. Records include news and electronic media items, transcripts or recordings. | Retain until administrative or reference use ceases, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found undergeneral retention and disposal authority Local Government records (GA39) at personal – Employment Conditions 22.6 and community relations - Media Liaison 2.12.
Your team is conducting a daily or weekly video chat to check in with each other about issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
General authority: administrative records (GA28) team meetings
19.13.1 Strategic management - Meetings | Records relating to routine general and section or unit meetings of employees and administrative arrangements for meetings. Records include:
| Retain until administrative or reference use ceases, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found under General retention and disposal authority: local government records (GA39) at corporate management - Meetings 2.9.
Your council is informing the public via social media or website re: park, library, beach or public area closures and/or safety tips, availability of support and assistance, hotlines during the Covid-19 pandemic.
General retention and disposal authority Local Government records (GA39) - Legal enforcement of closures
19.1.1 Laws and enforcement - Campaigns | Records relating to campaigns to raise awareness of laws and regulatory requirements and/or improve compliance. Records include: draft and final versions of campaign material such as brochures, booklets and circulars project plans for the conduct of campaigns. | Retain minimum of 5 years after action completed, then destroy |
General retention and disposal authority Local Government records (GA39)- Media advice to general public
2.12.1 Community relations - Media Liaison | Copies of media items relating to the organisation's operations or events and functions hosted by or involving the organisation. Records include news-cuttings, transcripts and electronic media items such as web postings. | Retain until administrative or reference use ceases, then destroy |
2.12.2 Community relations - Media Liaison | Final approved versions of media releases issued by the organisation. | Required as State archives |
2.12.3 Community relations - Media Liaison | Records relating to administrative arrangements concerning the organisation's dealings with the media including the provision of routine information and distribution of media releases, organisation of interviews, general media access. | Retain minimum of 2 years after action completed, then destroy |
2.12.4 Community relations - Media Liaison | Records relating to the acquisition of services to support the conduct of community, public relations, marketing or public profile-raising activities, for example, news-cuttings services, where there is no tendering or contracting-out process, i.e. where the cost of the acquisition is below the threshold for tendering. Records include:
| Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
Your agency is conducting external meetings virtually or via teleconference in respoinse to Covid-19 pandemic. You need to create and keep records of these meetings.
Please check our guidance - Recordings of virtual meetings
The records relating to meetings are covered by:
General authority: administrative records (GA28) - Inter-agency meetings
1.0.3 Committees | Inter-agency/external Records relating to inter-agency or external committees where (1) the organisation provides the secretariat and (2) the committee was established for the purposes of strategic planning or policy development and considers issues impacting on the core functions or responsibilities of the organisation. Records include:
Note: In the case of committees established to support collaboration or integrated service delivery, organisations should consider entries 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 carefully to decide which entry is the most appropriate given the terms of reference of the committee and its purpose and significance or influence of its decision making. | Required as State archives |
1.0.4 Committees | Inter-agency/external Records relating to inter-agency or external committees where (1) the organisation does not provide the secretariat or (2) where the organisation provides the secretariat but the Committee considers operational matters or matters relating to administrative or non-core functions of the organisation. Records include:
Note: In the case of committees established to support collaboration or integrated service delivery, organisations should consider entries 1.0.3 and 1.0.4 carefully to decide which entry is the most appropriate given the terms of reference of the committee and its purpose. Note: There may be some records relating to inter-agency or external committees dealing with operational matters that warrant retention as State archives, particularly where the records of the committee document decision making with respect to the organisation's core functions or responsibilities or consideration of matters attracting significant public interest. This should be assessed as part of the development of an organisation's functional retention and disposal authority and where warranted the records of the relevant committee/s should be included in the organisation's own functional retention and disposal authority. | Retain minimum of 5 years after action completed, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found undergeneral retention and disposal authority: local government records (GA39) at corporate management - Meetings 4.9.
Your agency is planning a new program or service in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
General authority: administrative records (GA28) - Customer service
2.6.1 Community relations - Customer service | Final, approved versions of charters, standards or guarantees relating to the provision of services to clients. | Retain minimum of 2 years after superseded, then destroy |
2.6.2 Community relations - Customer service | Records relating to the development and review of charters, standards or guarantees relating to the provision of services to clients. Records include:
| Retain until administrative or reference use ceases, then destroy |
2.6.3 Community relations - Customer service | Records relating to the administration of specialised customer services, for example, help desks, websites, interpreters, services for disabled customers and outreach services. | Retain minimum of 2 years after action completed, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found undergeneral retention and disposal authority: local government records (GA39)at community service - service provision 3.7.
Your agency's staff are applying for sick leave or other emergency leave in response to personal issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.
General authority: administrative records (GA28) – Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences
15.7.1 Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences | Summary details of leave taken by employees. Includes name, type of leave, dates taken, and approval. | Retain minimum of 75 years after date of birth of employee or minimum of 7 years after employment ceases, whichever is longer, then destroy |
15.7.2 Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences | Records documenting approvals for leave without pay in excess of 6 months, extended (long service) leave and study leave. Includes briefing notes and other supporting documentation. | Retain minimum of 7 years after employment ceases, then destroy |
15.7.3 Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences | Records documenting applications for leave. Records include leave requests and applications, and associated supporting documentation. Note: Where an appropriate summary record of leave taken by an employee is not available, approved applications will need to be retained for a minimum period of 75 years after date of birth or 7 years after employment ceases, whichever is longer. | Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
15.7.4 Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences | Attendance records for employees, including flexitime sheets, time sheets and attendance sheets. Note: Licensees of children's services should meet the minimum retention requirements for these records outlined in National or NSW laws and regulations applying to early childhood education and care providers. | Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
15.7.5 Personnel - Leave, attendance and absences | Records documenting the management of rosters where these are not required or used to record attendance, for example, where the signed attendance or time sheet is the accountable record of hours worked. | Retain minimum of 6 months after action completed, then destroy |
Note: Equivalent entries can be found undergeneral retention and disposal authority Local Government records (GA39)at personnel - Leave 22.12.
Your organisation is monitoring compliance with Public Health Orders. This includes reporting confirmed or suspected employee cases or Covid-19 and confirming vaccination status and travel permits.
This will include the following records:
- Employees demonstrating and/or providing proof of vaccination, test results, or travel permits
- Sighting an employee's vaccination certificate and creating a record to register certification, or annotating the employee's record. Vaccination certificates should be returned to the employee or deleted after sighting the copy of the certificate.
In this scenario, risk assess the following options to decide which is the most appropriate for the situation:
General authority: administrative records (GA28) – Occupation Health & Safety – Health promotion –
14.5.4 Occupational health and safety – Health Promotion | Records relating to the management and administration of programs to promote a healthy working environment, such as routine immunisation and health monitoring programs. | Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
14.5.5 Occupational health and safety – Health Promotion | Health promotion records relating to an individual employee, including:
| Retain minimum of 7 years after employment ceases, then destroy |
General authority: local government records (GA39) – Personnel – Occupational Health & Safety –
22.15.3 Personnel – Occupational health and safety | Records relating to the management and administration of programs to promote a healthy working environment, such as routine immunisation and health monitoring programs. | Retain minimum of 7 years after action completed, then destroy |
General authority: local government records (GA39) – Personnel – Establishment –
22.9.3 Personnel - Establishment | Records documenting the appointment and service of permanent, temporary or casual employees where an adequate summary record is held (see 22.9.4). Records include:
| Retain minimum of 7 years after employment ceases, then destroy |