LONDON: There were 1,686 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) recorded in Saudi Arabia on Friday, but none were detected among the Hajj pilgrims. The new cases announced by the Ministry of Health brought the total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom to 275,905. Of the new cases, the highest number was reported in Makkah with 178 infections, but Hajj pilgrims remained virus free as of Friday. The rest of the new infections were confirmed in cities and provinces across Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia implemented a number of measures in order to keep pilgrims safe from infection during a restricted Hajj pilgrimage this year. In the past 24 hours, 24 more people died due to COVID-19, which raised the virus-related death in Saudi Arabia toll to 2,866. The total number of recoveries rose to 235,658 after 4,460 more people recovered from the virus.