Now that the state has lifted its mask mandate, it only makes sense that school districts will follow suit.

And it didn’t take long for the Jersey Shore Area School Board to agree not to require students to wear masks when they return to school at the end of summer. They did so on Monday, the day the state lifted its mandate.

That does not mean masks won’t return to the classroom as the district, just like others in our region, will comply with any new state orders and notify staff and families of any necessary changes as they come about.

We see this as a good thing, both the lifting of the mandate and the note of caution ahead.

It’s been hard for some youngsters to keep a mask on through the school day. For that matter, masking has been difficult for everyone at times.

But it has been a necessary measure geared toward protecting individual and community health during what we hope was the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is unfortunate that the pandemic is not over and that the delta variant poses a continuing threat that must be taken seriously.

To that end, we encourage people who have not yet been vaccinated to get their shots soon, before this horrible virus is able to infect even more people and pose a new level of threat.

Many school districts, including Jersey Shore, plan to share information about vaccine opportunities with families. The decision to get the shots will be left to individuals, as it should be.

As of this week, 39.6 percent of Lycoming County and 49 percent of Pennsylvania was fully vaccinated.

Pennsylvania, by the way, was ahead of the nation, which was up to 46.3 percent fully vaccinated.

Of course, we do not know what will happen next with the pandemic we’ve endured since March 2020. All we can do, as human beings, is to prepare and brace for what’s ahead — and try not to scare children in the process.

With any amount of luck, what’s ahead will be days of sunshine and moderate temperatures to accommodate pleasant gatherings of friends, family and communities.

Why, we’d even be happy not to grumble about the heat if it meant this national nightmare were over. Unfortunately, we do not always get our way, but achieving herd immunity would be a great reason to celebrate.