MELBOURNE: Australia's Victoria will resume its hotel quarantine program and begin receiving international travellers into the state from April 8. International returns will be capped at 800 passengers per week initially and will be boosted to 1,120 from April 15.

The state government said the decision was made after independent expert reviews into the management of new, highly-infectious and rapidly changing variants of concern, and an evaluation into how each hotel ventilation system can respond to this ever-changing virus.

"The challenges of this virus will be with us for some time to come, that's why we've listened to the advice of experts and made the necessary changes to ensure we're keeping Victorians safe," Merlino said in his announcement.

Mr Merlino also announced the Victorian government was advocating to the federal government for a small portion of the 1120 passenger load for “economic cohorts” in conjunction with appeals from other states.

The state also made several improvements to the existing hotel quarantine system, including developing a new Victorian standard for ventilation systems and upgrading hotels where necessary to comply with the standard.

Testing of hotel residents will be boosted from two to four times during their quarantine period, with follow-up tests recommended after quarantine, based on medical advice.

Professional hygienist physician and a team of engineers and other specialists will conduct room-by-room assessments on quarantine hotel ventilation.

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