This article compares policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their probable results in three countries: the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, and the Slovak Republic. The article is based on a multiple case study method. It confirms that in the three countries studied, the timing of policy responses and the success in motivating compliance represent important critical factors in containing the pandemic. It discusses the innovative experiment with nationwide blanket testing in Slovakia and suggests that antigen testing should not be the single and independent policy tool to combat the pandemic.