As it happened: Victoria records 1377 new local COVID-19 cases, four deaths; NSW records 623 new cases, six deaths; John Barilaro resigns as NSW Deputy Premier

Thanks for joining us tonight. We’ll be back with you again tomorrow morning. Before we go, here’s a quick recap of the day’s news.

• NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro has announced he will resign from Parliament , citing the pressures of media scrutiny and an ongoing defamation case as having taken a toll on himself and his family.
• Coronavirus cases and hospitalisations in NSW have continued to decline, as the state’s private hospitals prepare to reopen for non-urgent surgery on Tuesday. There were 623 new local infections reported, the lowest daily figure since August 17.
• Contact tracers in Victoria will stop trying to track down casual contacts of known COVID-19 cases within days as the virus becomes more widespread in the community and vaccination rates rise.
• Victoria recorded 1377 new coronavirus cases and four deaths on Monday as Melbourne officially took the world title as the city with the most days in lockdown.
• A federal pledge to combat corruption is heading for an impasse in the Senate as Liberals rethink whether to vote for sweeping new powers for a national integrity commission after the sudden resignation of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Parts of NSW’s Mid Coast local government area will go into lockdown at midnight.

The stay-at-home orders are being implemented in Taree, Forster and Tuncurry and will apply to anyone who has been in those areas since September 27.

Lockdown will be extended for Muswellbrook LGA, in NSW’s Upper Hunter region, until October 11.

Earlier today, NSW Health also announced that the north-eastern NSW town of Gunnedah would go into lockdown after five new cases were reported.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has finally left the COVID-zero dream behind.

On Monday, Ardern announced more loosening of the rules and admitted the country had left “elimination” behind, instead favouring heavy suppression while vaccination rates climb.

Unfortunately, admitting that her strategy had failed will not mean her new one will succeed.

Further loosening is promised, but unlike in Australia, it has not been tied to any set level of vaccination. This is a shame as the rate of first doses has fallen sharply in recent weeks, and those wavering clearly need more encouragement.

It’s hard to escape the suspicion the Prime Minister has not linked further reopening to a vaccine target because she’s not sure the country can reach one.

Read the full analysis here. 

Gunnedah, in north-eastern NSW, will go into lockdown from midnight after five new cases of COVID-19 were recorded.

The stay-at-home orders for the local government area will be in place until at least October 11 and apply to anyone who has been in the LGA since September 27. The new cases confirmed on Monday afternoon came in addition to one case recorded on Sunday.

Local MP Kevin Anderson said it was “heartbreaking” for the Gunnedah community.

“I feel for them at this time,” he said on Facebook.

But lockdown will end for Cowra and Port Macquarie LGAs as scheduled from tomorrow.

“NSW Health will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation with COVID-19 and will not hesitate to update its advice to protect the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW,” NSW Health said in a statement.

South Australia’s Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier and Health Minister Stephen Wade are giving a COVID-19 update.

You can watch it live here.