San Francisco, Jun 1 (IANS): Mayor of US west coast city San Francisco London Breed announced that the one-night curfew she declared earlier shall remain in effect until the state of local emergency is terminated or at her further direction.

The curfew was announced following chaos and looting in downtown areas. Stores were damaged and looted in some Bay Area cities, including San Francisco, on Saturday as protests over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis raged on in the region, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

San Francisco announced on Saturday night a curfew in the city that would last from 8 p.m. Sunday until 5 a.m. Monday local time with the National Guard on standby.

Incidents of vandalism and violence Saturday night in San Francisco have highlighted the need for residents to stay home at night to protect themselves and their communities, the announcement said.

"The murder of George Floyd is only the latest in a long history of African-American men who have lost their lives as a result of police violence. There is a lot of pain right now here in San Francisco and across the country," said Breed at a news briefing.

"Peaceful protests in San Francisco will continue to have my full support and the full support of the city. Unfortunately, some of the violence and vandalism we saw last night is unacceptable, and we will be instituting a curfew beginning tonight," she added.

"I understand the strong feelings motivating people to protest what happened in Minneapolis," said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott. "We're also seeing lawlessness and looting that has no place in our city."

He said the police will continue to enforce the law and protect public safety and urged residents to heed the curfew order.

"The majority of people taking to the streets are doing it peacefully, powerfully, and with respect and compassion for the cause they're fighting for," said the city's Fire Chief Jeanine Nicholson. "Together we need to protect our communities from those not intent of peaceful protest. This curfew is in place to protect our San Francisco communities."