Private security guards are absent from Victoria's new-look hotel quarantine program, which Premier Daniel Andrews describes as the "strongest and safest" scheme in the country.
Mr Andrews on Monday announced a dedicated agency, COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria (CQV), has been established to oversee the program, which restarts on December 7.
The agency will be led by Corrections Commissioner Emma Cassar, who will report directly to Police and Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville.
There will be no private security guards involved in the program, with all staff employed or directly contracted by CQV, with the exception of cleaning staff, who are on fixed-term contracts with Alfred Health.
About 300 Victoria Police officers and 220 Australian Defence Force personnel will be embedded in the hotels each day.
"There are no private security engaged, it will be only Victoria Police performing those roles as well as ADF," Mr Andrews said.
"No moonlighting, no second jobs, no subcontracting of a subcontract, because there are no subcontracts, it is all direct and obvious and clear."
All staff involved in the program will be tested daily and will work in "bubbles" to ensure they only have contact with a limited number of other people during their shift.
Families and household members will also be offered tests weekly.
Returned travellers, meanwhile, will no longer be able to leave their rooms for fresh air or exercise breaks, while food and care packages from family or friends will no longer be permitted.
The government said the measures will help restrict movement and further reduce the risk of transmission between those quarantining and staff.
Those with symptoms will be taken directly from Melbourne Airport to health hotels.
New Deputy Chief Health Officer Professor Ben Cowie has been appointed to lead health management for the program, while Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Guenther will oversee the force's expanded role.
The premier said the new program would be the "strongest and safest quarantine program in the country", but warned there were risks involved.
"No quarantine system can be built with zero risk, there will always be some residual risk. Some would say that it is inevitable that there will be outbreaks, there will be cases," Mr Andrews said.
"The key point here is to make sure you've got the strongest system in place to lock down any outbreak ... we're very confident that we'll be able to do that."
He said returned travellers will have to pay about $3500 per adult for the mandatory two-week stay, which was in line with other states.
International arrivals will initially be capped at 160 travellers a day.
In June, Victoria's hotel quarantine program was suspended, flights were diverted and an inquiry was called after workers at the Rydges on Swanston and Stamford Plaza hotels contracted COVID-19.
The outbreaks sparked Victoria's second wave, which resulted in more than 18,000 infections and 800 deaths.
The hotel quarantine inquiry, headed by retired judge Jennifer Coate, has made 69 interim recommendations to improve the program, including allowing some returned travellers to quarantine at home.
The government has accepted or accepted in principle 52 recommendations, with a further 17 recommendations under review.
Mr Andrews said the home-based quarantine model had been ruled out by national cabinet at this stage, largely due to the worsening situation in Europe, parts of Asia and the US.
The inquiry, led by retired judge Jennifer Coate, will hand down its final report by December 21.
