Melbourne hotel quarantine program restarts on Thursday with 300,000 vaccine target by May

As Melbourne rolls the dice for a third time on hotel quarantine, an expansion of the state’s vaccination program has been revealed.

On Thursday from 4.30am, returned travellers started arriving at Melbourne airport aboard flights from Colombo, Doha, Dubai and Singapore.

They have been taken to the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport and the Intercontinental on Collins Street, where they will stay for a fortnight.

The state hasn’t accepted returned travellers since February 13, when workers contracted the UK strain of COVID-19 from guests at the Holiday Inn.

At a press conference on Thursday, health officials were asked if…