Here’s what you need to know this morning.
Mandatory testing of staff at quarantine hotels still not in place
Urgent genome sequencing and contact tracing continue after a south-west Sydney woman who worked at a quarantine hotel contracted COVID-19.
The woman, who worked at the Novotel and Ibis hotels in Darling Harbour from Friday, November 27, to Monday, did not have direct contact with infected overseas quarantine patients.
It has also been revealed mandatory testing of all staff is yet to be rolled out across all Sydney quarantine hotels.
NSW Health told the ABC it was still working to implement weekly testing at its police-run hotels.
A health alert to self-isolate and be tested has been issued for people who travelled at particular times by light rail between Convention and Central and by train between Minto, Lidcombe and Central between the Friday and Monday.
Wayside Chapel cancels Christmas party
The Wayside Chapel’s iconic Christmas gatherings in Kings Cross — which attracts up to 1,000 of the city’s homeless and isolated people — will not go ahead this year.
Pastor and CEO Jon Owen said to gather en mass with that many people was “not safe”.
Instead, there will be a lunch held every day in the week before Christmas to ensure the community is supported.
Wayside is among several charities having to either cancel or reconfigure fundraising events in the lead up to Christmas Day.
Dog to be reunited with owner after 480km trip
NSW Police will reunite a dog with its owner today after the pet was found in Sydney, 480 kilometres from its home in Yass.
The black-and-white cattle dog named Speck was picked up on a roadside earlier this week after digging his way out from under a fence.
Police said a woman had picked up the dog on the Yass road before continuing to Sydney.
The dog was found on Wednesday morning in a vehicle in a car park on Elizabeth Street.
The dog, who was found with no injuries, will be reunited with its owner this morning.
School travel company liquidation
A travel company that organised school trips overseas has gone into liquidation, leaving hundreds of Australian families out of pocket
Educational World Travel had been paid more than $2 million to organise school trips to the United States for families from NSW, Queensland and Victoria.
Bathurst man Terry Steele said he paid $2,000 for a trip for his daughter.
“It’s very frustrating,” he said.
“I feel sorry for the kids that have worked jobs after school to contribute to these payments. I feel sorry for the parents that have worked hard to come up with the money. But I’m at a state where I don’t believe there’ll be any money coming back.”