Three European countries are planning to start easing back on restrictions amid the global coronavirus pandemic, moves being panned as bold and reckless, according to the South China Morning Post.

Austria (12,633 cases, just 243 deaths), Denmark (just 5,071 cases, 203 deaths), and the Czech Republic (4,944 cases, just 88 deaths) acted early and decisively to curb the spread of COVID-19, flattened the curve of their countries, and are planning a move to open up some of the hardest hit sectors of their economy.

"This will probably be a bit like walking the tightrope," Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told the SCMP, about returning to school and sending workers back to jobs shortly after. "If we stand still along the way, we could fall and if we go too fast it can go wrong. So we have to take one cautious step at a time."

Austria is allowing smaller shops of 4,300 square feet to open April 14, while larger shops and malls can open in early May. Hotels and restaurants will follow in mid-May, per the report.

"It's an ambitious plan that will lead to a new normalcy," Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said, per the SCMP.

Kurz is credited for having issued a lockdown order March 11 and closing its border to Italy and restricting travel from Germany. It also was the first country in Europe requiring masks in supermarkets.

"In Austria we reacted more quickly and more restrictively than in other countries so that's why we now have the chance to come out of this crisis faster," Kurz said, per SCMP. "But if necessary we can pull the emergency brake on all this at any time."

In Prague, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said encouraging numbers will allow restrictions to be slowly lifted over the next few weeks.

"We are clearly saying now that we are able to manage the pandemic relatively well here – the pandemic is not managing us," Vojtech told SCMP.

• NYC Virus Deaths Exceed 3,200, Topping Toll for 9/11 Attacks
• Pandemic's Peak – Here's The Date for Your State