The Latest: Israel's new leader urges youth to get vaccine

JERUSALEM — Israel’s new prime minister is urging the country’s youth to get vaccinated as coronavirus case numbers have crept up in recent days due to a localized outbreak of the Delta variant.

Naftali Bennett’s comments came at a meeting of the government Sunday in Jerusalem.

“We don’t want to impose any restrictions: not on parties, on trips or anything like that. But specifically because of this, if you don’t want restrictions, go get vaccinated today. Talk to your parents and get vaccinated,” he said.

Israel reinstated a mask mandate indoors amid a rise in new infections in the past week. Israel’s Health Ministry recorded 113 new coronavirus cases Saturday.

The prime minister also says the government has appointed a special director in charge of managing the country’s border crossings — with particular emphasis on Israel’s main international airport — and preventing the spread of the coronavirus and other diseases.

Bennett said the appointment of Roni Numa, a former army general, aims to step up the country’s efforts “to prevent the entry of this virus and variants and other future viruses from around the world into Israel."

Many of the new cases reported in the past week were traced to individuals who had arrived from abroad.

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