Cuba lifts tax on food,medicine imports after protest

After nationwide protests,Cuba announced to lift restrictions temporarily on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said that it was a demand made by many travelers and it was necessary to take the decision. He added that the government would "assess things" after 31 December. Thousands had joined a wave of protests on Sunday over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government's handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections. The government blamed the unrest on US-financed counter-revolutionaries exploiting hardship caused by the decades-old US trade embargo that Washington tightened in the midst of the pandemic, pushing the Cuban economy to the brink.
The rare wave of demonstrations against the country's communist government has been fanned by a deepening economic crisis worsened by the pandemic. Covid-19 has devastated the country's tourism industry, sending Cuba's economy into a deep slump.  In the aftermath of the protests, anti-government activists say that more than 100 people have been detained or are missing in a crackdown described as the largest in years.In a country known for repressing dissent, the demonstrations have been viewed as remarkable. Several countries and the United Nations have called on the government to respect citizens' right to express themselves. Others like Mexico have said the best way to help the Cuban people would be for the United States to ease sanctions.