OLYMPIA  –– A trade group that represents restaurants and lodging establishments in Washington is pressuring the Governor to fully reopen the state next month.

The Washington Hospitality Association is calling on Gov. Jay Inslee to release a plan for reopening the state by June 15, in line with 48 other states that have released reopening plans.

“Our industry has been the hardest hit by far over the last 14 months of the pandemic, yet we have not called for reopening until today. It’s time. While other states have a plan for moving forward, Washington’s plan only moves in one direction: backward,” said Anthony Anton, president and CEO of the Washington Hospitality Association.

The group says reopening June 15 would put Washington in line with California. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have all announced they will reopen fully on May 19. The Governor of Oregon has announced reopening by July 1.

The association launched a public petition to the governor to release a reopening plan at https://p2a.co/reopenwa