Earlier today, the Taoiseach mentioned the closing down of pubs and that he felt he was right to do so. However, 60% of the cases now being diagnosed are of the UK variant. Last year, I told the House more than once that the virus was not growing in the back yard of pubs and rather that it was coming in on airlines. The Government did nothing about it. The virus did not walk across the Irish Sea. We are an island country. I have to say that people are dead and some people will never again be the same after having the virus. Special needs schools are closed. Is the Government's belated attempt to do something about the virus coming into this country a charade or only an attempt to cover up for not doing what it should have done all along? It is very easy to close down pubs. It is very easy to close down the country and that is what the Government has done. It was not the virus that did it.

It has been stated here on several occasions, not just by us but by many others, that when the public houses were closed down there was a concerted effort by the Government to blame the public houses for the spread of the pandemic. That was proven to be grossly untrue because of the facts. The pandemic grew out of control when all of the public houses were closed. At the same time, the spin from the Government was to victimise, demonise and put down our public houses because of some reason best known to the Taoiseach and the Government. I would like the Taoiseach to answer this charge if he could, please. I want to know what set had the Government not just against rural publicans but urban publicans also?

The point has been made.

I find it very difficult to comprehend what has just been said given all that has happened in the country. I know that in earlier stages of the debate Deputies Danny Healy-Rae, Michael Healy-Rae, Mary Lou McDonald and others called for the pubs to be opened, saying they should have been opened a long time ago. Have you learned anything from what has transpired? Human behaviour in all settings affects the spread of the virus. We do not blame publicans at all per se. In some cases, there were people who in certain settings breached the regulations and the rules. People in this House know that. Across the country, guidelines were not adhered to and rules were not adhered to in many settings, not just in public houses and hospitality but in many settings. We did not open wet pubs prior to the Christmas period because the evidence was there that it would be a contributing factor to the spread of the virus. The virus spreads through the congregation of people in many different settings. Yes, travel has to be dealt with also.