certainly

. it's comprehensively described in Ludwig Narziss' book: "Abriss der Bierbrauerei" from the TU in Munich, in Weihenstephan (Freising).
Once yeast is active it's hard for bacteria to get the upper hand. Of course, towards the end you can finish by keeping the lid shut. It's not good for it to sit inactive for too long though, ESP at temps higher than 20C, so a transfer on fermentation completion should be done without too much delay (you have a few days).
Skimming has several purposes. It removes the unpleasant resins at the begin (discard) and it allows for the yeast to be collected in a cleaner state. I find that it also gives the yeast more room to breathe and do it's work. Additionally, it is a very good indicator for fermentation completeness (less foam created)...
Just give it a go... I find it produces smoother ales.
PS: Pilsner Urquell is first fermented this way too, and many Bavarian breweries skim the top 12-36 hrs before transferring to second ferm in the Lagering tanks.