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For Government Staff

DOCUMENTING RESPONSES TO COVID-19

 

What should you save to document your agency’s response to the pandemic? 

  • Consider starting one or more COVID-19 files for documents specifically related to this time.  It can be a series in your internal network files, a folder in your email, and a folder for paper files.  However you keep your records!
  • Social media posts:  If you’re communicating with the public, or internally with staff, these would be good records to preserve.  Unless you are using a vendor to collect your social media, the best way remains taking screen shots of posts and interactions, and saving them as pdfs – in your COVID-19 file.
  • Website content.  If this duplicates what’s on your social media, no need to save the content from both places.  Save a few screenshots to show you were using your web page during this time and preserve the rest via your social media platforms (or vice versa)
  • Typical written documents:
    • Telework and social distancing plans
    • Reports and memos on work and communications during this time
    • Press releases and press coverage of your unit's response
    • Correspondence showing significant new policies or work practices in place during the pandemic.  Remember, only save what is produced by your office, not documents that originated elsewhere.
  • Photos, videos, and other visual documents of life of your office – on site and virtual.  Consider taking a screenshot of your staff video call grid, closed/reduced services signs you posted on your facility, and saving webinars conducted by staff for off-site training. 
  • Did your staff mobilize for a cause outside of work, like donating supplies or to a medical facility or food bank or making masks? Take pictures and save correspondence about it.