In the first lockdown people could go for long walks and walk out in the countryside. The weather was good. The weather is so wet now with long evenings. The issue of people who use gymnasiums and hotel and private gym owners needs to be examined because they are safe places. Contact tracing is in place, people are booked in and they are highly disinfected. They should be looked at sensitively for the physical and mental health of people who are using them, young and not-so-young. Many of the elderly use them as well. They are on the telephones crying. It is their only outlet. They live in the town or nearby or adjacent. They can travel a safe distance. They need to be looked at sensitively because they cannot go out walking in this dark weather, especially in the countryside with the lighting and danger on the roads. Will the Taoiseach please re-examine the situation around the gyms?

I appreciate the point Deputy McGrath has made. Again, the difficulty with lockdowns is that they are crude and blunt instruments designed to reduce congregation and people gathering. Recommendations come from NPHET on the variety of measures that are required. We try to be as judicious, effective and compassionate as we can.

One can always go through each individual setting. If we look at it in isolation or from the perspective of that setting, one can make an argument. However, it is the cumulative impact of all these settings that gives rise to the problem. The objective is to reduce congregation and people gathering and to keep people as close to the 5 km limit as possible.