Cuba lifts food, medicine customs restrictions amid protests

The government announcement comes after the island nation was rocked by rare protests.

Travellers arriving in Cuba will be able to bring in food, medicine and other essential items without having to pay a customs fee, the government has announced, its first apparent concession after days of rare protests in the Caribbean island nation. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero made the announcement in a televised address alongside President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Wednesday night, days after demonstrators first took to the streets on Sunday. “It was a demand made by many travellers and it was necessary to take this decision,” Marrero said of the easing of customs restrictions on food, medicine and hygiene products.