Havana (CNN) Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on travelers bringing food, medicines and hygiene products into the country in an apparent acknowledgment of demands from anti-government demonstrators . Cubans now spend hours in long lines to buy food and medicine, and lockdowns have left many without work. On Sunday, CNN journalists witnessed multiple people being forcibly arrested and thrown in the back of vans at protests in Havana. On Wednesday evening, the Cuban government announced it would lift restrictions on food and medicine travelers could bring into the country -- a small concession for demonstrators. The Cuban government blames its economic woes on the US trade sanctions, which restricts its access to imports and financing.

Source: CNN July 15, 2021 12:45 UTC