This story was last updated at 10:34 p.m.

As major protests continued downtown for a third night in a row, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she will institute a citywide curfew, starting at 11 p.m. and remaining in effect until 6 a.m. on Monday, June 1.

Those found in violation of the order could be fined up to $300 or imprisoned for up to 10 days. Essential workers, including healthcare personnel and credentialed members of the media, are exempt from the curfew.

“Over the past nights, there has been a glorification of violence, particularly during later hours of the night. This violence is not representative of peaceful protest or individuals exercising their lawful First Amendment rights. The health, safety, and well-being of persons within the District of Columbia are threatened and endangered by the existence of these violent actions,” the order reads. “Moreover, the District is currently under a declared public health state of emergency due to COVID-19…. Many protestors are not observing physical distancing requirements and many protestors are not wearing masks or face coverings, putting the public health at further risk.” 

Bowser reversed course from earlier in the day, when she said she wouldn’t institute a curfew, since it wasn’t likely to be followed. It’s not clear what, exactly, changed her mind. The mayor made the announcement around 7 p.m., and a public safety alert went out to Washingtonians’ cellphones shortly before 8 p.m. The mayor has the right to issue an emergency executive order and institute a curfew in accordance with D.C. code.

Curfews have already been instituted in a number of cities around the country amid sustained unrest since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Mayor Eric Garcetti called for a second night of curfew in Los Angeles. Nearly 400 arrests were made in the city on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times, some of which were curfew violations. In Chicago, law enforcement also warned of arrests for curfew violations. Arizona issued a statewide curfew that will be in place for a week after 114 arrests were made in Phoenix last night, including seven juveniles for curfew violations. And curfew was also instituted for tonight in Richmond, Virginia which will last until June 3.

In the District, demonstrations on Friday and Saturday started largely peacefully but turned chaotic as the night wore on, including the destruction of government and private property.

The mayor also announced via Twitter that the D.C. National Guard was being activated to support the Metropolitan Police Department. The force was also seen on duty and standing alongside Secret Service Police at Lafayette Square last night.

And the District Department of Transportation has suspended its Capital Bikeshare service and asked micro-mobility companies to remove their scooters from the streets as a safety precaution.

Bowser’s order calls to mind the curfew ordered by Mayor Walter Washington after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. And in 1991, Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon also instituted a curfew in the predominantly Latino communities of Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, and Adams Morgan after a Metropolitan Police Department officer shot 30-year-old Daniel Enrique Gomez in purported self-defense.

There’s also curfew law on the books, but it specifically applies to those under the age of 17. Originally codified in 1995, it calls for curfew, unless with a guardian, starting at 11 p.m. (12:01 a.m. in July and August) due to their “lack of maturity and experience, to participate in unlawful and gang-related activities and to be the victims of older perpetrators of crime.