US Seattle announces curfew for weekend after protests

SAN FRANCISCO - Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan on Saturday announced a city-wide curfew for Satruday and Sunday from 5:00 pm (2100GMT) to 5:00 am (0900GMT) after protests broke out downtown.

The curfew is intended to prevent violence and widespread property damage, and to prevent the further community spread of COVID-19 through continued gathering in the largest city of Washington state, the announcement said.

According to the announcement, residents and visitors should remain in their residence to the extent possible and should refrain from traveling in and through Seattle during the curfew hours.

"While most of those protests were peaceful, there have been isolated but significant events of violence and destruction. This temporary curfew is intended to preserve the health and safety of our residents by keeping our streets safe and accessible for essential workers and first responders," said Durkan.

The temporary curfew does not impact people who need to commute to work during these hours, people experiencing homelessness, people in a medical emergency or people in a dangerous situation, first responders, health care workers, and news media. In addition, the curfew does not require businesses to close while it is in effect. It will not alter public transit schedules.

The city does not intend to enforce the curfew, except for violations that result in public health and safety threats including fires, extensive property damage, and violence, the announcement said.