After last year’s Halloween celebration was basically canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to remember what the spooky holiday was like prior. There was no traditional trick-or-treating, no bobbing for apples, no costume parties…most of us chose to binge our favorite spooky movies and call it a night.

With Halloween fast approaching once more for the 2021 year, parents might be wondering: Can they take their kids trick-or-treating safely this year?

We have good news: Dr. Anthony Fauci says YES! The government’s top infectious diseases expert and the chief medical adviser to President Biden has just stated he is actually encouraging the kids to put their costumes on and get some candy trick-or-treating outdoors this year. Woo hoo!

He says that children have missed out on too much due to the virus, and now that many people have received vaccinations and cases are on the decline, we can relax just a bit more. Daily cases dipped below 100,000 for the first time since August. Though it’s a huge win, Dr. Fauci does caution not to get prematurely excited that the pandemic is over, even though we’re on a good path right now. He said he’d like to see cases drop to less than 10,000 a day before getting rid of other pandemic-related restrictions, like not having to wear masks and such.

Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also recently mentioned how trick-or-treating for children is likely going to be safe this year—with a few caveats of course. “If you’re able to be outdoors, absolutely,” she said, adding that she does caution against attending larger indoor Halloween parties.

“I wouldn’t necessarily go to a crowded Halloween party, but I think that we should be able to let our kids go trick-or-treating in small groups,” Walensky said. “I hope that we can do that this year.”

Dr. Fauci also had a caveat: he recommends any unvaccinated people who plan to go trick-or-treating should consider getting their vaccine beforehand, for that “extra degree of protection.” As of right now, vaccines are approved for those 12 years and older. The Food and Drug Administration are meeting at the end of October to discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency use authorization of its vaccine for children ages 5 to 11.

Below, hear Dr. Fauci talk to CNN’s Dana Bash about safety precautions you can take on Halloween this year.

Do you plan to take your kids trick-or-treating this year? If not, what do you plan to do to celebrate?