Saudi Arabia allows mixed dining

This item appears on page 4 of the February 2020 issue.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia announced on Dec. 10 that men and women now can eat together in restaurants. Before the decree, every restaurant, even fast-food restaurants, had different entrances for men and women, and, by law, the two genders were separated by, at the least, a screen. Even married couples with children were forced to eat apart. (According to some reports, many restaurants had been ignoring those restrictions.)