These nations are among the first in the West to start feeling their way gradually out of the limits on daily life imposed by governments to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Others will want to see what lessons can be learned as they too eye an exit route from lockdown amid growing social and economic pressures at home.
For professional athlete Irena Gillarova, from the Czech Republic, the easing of the lockdown last week meant she could return to training at the Juliska stadium in Prague for the first time since the country locked down.
"It was great, honestly. I was full of excitement and I feel great," the javelin thrower told CNN on Friday. "These two weeks at home helped me to appreciate my job even more than before and not take it for granted."
The athletes have a schedule to ensure only a certain number of people are at the stadium at once. "I felt 100% safe," the 28-year-old said. "I feel the system is pretty good and we are trying to be smart about it. We are all taking it responsibly."
Dr. Peter Drobac, a global health expert at the Oxford Saïd Business School, told CNN that those countries now easing their restrictions were "important and hopeful examples" for the West.
"We still have a lot of learning to do about how we are going to come out of lockdowns safely and effectively," he said.
Any loosening of limits will carry risk. The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, warned last week that the situation in Europe is still "very concerning" and insisted "now is not the time to relax measures."
Europe "remains very much at the center of the pandemic," he said, with seven of the top 10 most affected countries globally located on the continent.
And a study based on China's outbreak, published in medical journal The Lancet, has suggested that coronavirus lockdowns across the globe should not be completely lifted until a vaccine for the disease is found.