Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, issued the following statement in response to Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement that southwest Washington and most other regions of the state will move to Phase 2 of the state’s COVID lockdown plan. The change will permit restaurants to resume indoor dining, allow gyms and entertainment venues to reopen, and relax other restrictions on public gatherings, while maintaining social-distancing rules.

“It couldn’t come soon enough,” Wilson said. “For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been in a situation where it was OK to eat a burger indoors in Aberdeen, but not in Longview. And in the meantime, business owners have been forced to decide whether they can afford to remain in business. I’m relieved that we have gotten to the point that restrictions are being relaxed throughout southwest Washington, and I hope we will be able to move quickly to get the state working again.”