On 28 February, public health measures fell, including the mandatory wearing of masks even though the public health advice was that we should maintain them on transport and in healthcare settings. We now have one of the most virulent Covid variants running rampant in our society with 1,600 patients in hospital, an increase of more than 40% in the past seven days. Last week, 5,200 staff were out sick with Covid. This week, according to Dr. Colm Henry, it is over 6,000. More hospitals are cancelling elective surgery which already has a serious backlog. Every Deputy has heard from constituents who are waiting. No masks are being worn on public transport. Has the Government discussed the increase in the number of people in our hospitals? If mask wearing cannot be made mandatory, could the Government not run an advertising campaign to encourage people wear masks on public transport even for four weeks?

I seem to recall that their Deputy and her group opposed the legislation.

Pardon.

I think the Deputy opposed the legislation on Covid measures that we had to take at the time when it was before the House.

That is why I am asking for a mask-wearing campaign to alert people.

This is not the most virulent variant; it is the most transmissible variant.

That is what I meant.

That it has less virulence than other variants means is causing less serious illness. That creates a new difficulty for us in that we cannot justify the economic restrictions we had for a virus that is not translating into very serious illness, mortality or admissions into hospitals and particularly intensive care units. I acknowledge it is causing considerable disruption across society, particularly in the healthcare environment because if someone arrives in hospital with a different ailment and it transpires they have Covid, they need to be isolated which creates pressure on capacity. I do not have time to go through it all.

It is up 40% on last week.