'That's the power of someone like that' - Dan Hooker explains how Israel Adesanya influenced New Zealand's quarantine process
According to Dan Hooker, quarantine regulations in New Zealand were influenced by Israel Adesanya's criticism of the strict self-isolation process for people arriving in the island-state from overseas.
New Zealand is probably the most successful country in the world regarding controlling COVID-19 and managing the pandemic. The nation has recorded fewer than 2,500 cases since the World Health Organization reported the virus in 2020.
To return to New Zealand after his bout against Michael Chandler at UFC 257, Dan Hooker had to comply with the country's stringent quarantining protocols, which require people to book a date in advance of their departure.
After landing, a self-isolation period of two weeks in a hotel paid by the government is mandatory. However, there are rules to that also. Dan Hooker explained to ESPN's Ariel Helwani that a booking system is used to regulate who can leave their rooms and at what time.
Helwani remembered that another New Zealand native fighter, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, had to go through the same procedure when he had to fly to Abu Dhabi to fight Paulo Costa at UFC 253 in September 2020.
According to Helwani, Adesanya complained about the lack of support offered by people who had to quarantine. The middleweight champion said at the time that "there should be people to talk to the ones in the hotel rooms about mental health."
It seems like the New Zealand government considered the suggestion. Dan Hooker told Helwani that support is now available to anyone quarantining.
"Yeah, so obviously that service wasn't available, but that's the power of someone like that [Israel Adesanya], saying something. And now, as soon as we arrived, they gave us numbers, I've got like a sheet over here with like a list of mental health services that you can call anytime you can call the nurse on-site, and they'll direct you to someone else. I would say, due to Israel saying something and stirring that up a bit, they've put something into action. Now those services are fully available," Dan Hooker said.
How is Dan Hooker coping with the self-isolation period?
Dan Hooker told ESPN's Ariel Helwani how he is passing the time inside the hotel room where he has to stay for two weeks in compliance with COVID-19 protocols currently place in New Zealand.
"Yeah, I'm not good at being cooped up. I love to be outside, I love to, I love to be training interacting with people, so it's not easy. It's not easy, you know," Dan Hooker said. "But yeah, you just have to compartmentalize. Like, what other choice do you have? You pass the time watching TV, or you do whatever you can."