Pandemic Recovery Research Articles

One-Year Recovery Among Survivors of Prolonged Severe COVID-19: A National Multicenter Cohort.

Understanding the long-term effects of severe COVID-19 illness on survivors is essential for effective pandemic recovery planning. Therefore, we investigated impairments among hospitalized adults discharged to long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) for prolonged severe COVID-19 illness who survived 1 year. The Recovery After Transfer to an LTACH for COVID-19 (RAFT COVID) study was a national, multicenter, prospective longitudinal cohort study. We included hospitalized English-speaking adults transferred to one of nine LTACHs in the United States between March 2020 and February 2021 and completed a survey. None. Validated instruments for impairments and free response questions about recovering. Among 282 potentially eligible participants who provided permission to be contacted, 156 (55.3%) participated (median age, 65; 38.5% female; 61.3% in good prior health; median length of stay of 57 d; 77% mechanically ventilated for a median of 26 d; 42% had a tracheostomy). Approximately two-thirds (64%) had a persistent impairment, including physical (57%), respiratory (49%; 19% on supplemental oxygen), psychiatric (24%), and cognitive impairments (15%). Nearly half (47%) had two or more impairment types. Participants also experienced persistent debility from hospital-acquired complications, including mononeuropathies and pressure ulcers. Participants described protracted recovery, attributing improvements to exercise/rehabilitation, support, and time. While considered life-altering with 78.7% not returning to their usual health, participants expressed gratitude for recovering; 99% returned home and 60% of previously employed individuals returned to work. Nearly two-thirds of survivors of among the most prolonged severe COVID-19 illness had persistent impairments at 1 year that resembled post-intensive care syndrome after critical illness plus debility from hospital-acquired complications.

Understanding store-loyal customers’ mobile channel migration: a trust-transfer perspective

PurposeRetailers have recently leveraged store-loyal customers’ store attachment to maintain customer relationships and motivate patronage intentions. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has driven customer migration from offline to mobile channels. Mobile retail applications (APPs) have been used by numerous retailers to reach their customers. Nonetheless, it has yet to be determined (1) whether store attachment can facilitate (or impede) the adoption of mobile retail APPs and (2) whether store-loyal customers will continue visiting offline stores in the post-pandemic era. To address these questions, we propose a theoretical account using integrated theories on trust transfer and store attachment.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted multi-stage, longitudinal field surveys in two cities of mainland China: Beijing and Guangzhou. From two rounds of data collection, 237 and 103 responses were obtained in March 2022. Hypotheses were tested by partial least squares – structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM).FindingsResults showed that customer trust in an offline retailer can be transferred to the retailer’s mobile APP at the pre-adoption stage, facilitating APP adoption. Notably, store-loyal customers who exhibited a strong attachment to the physical store of a retailer were more inclined to transfer their trust to the mobile APP of the retailer. This occurrence leads to an increased adoption rate, enhanced post-adoption satisfaction and increased inclination to continue (rather than discontinue) usage.Originality/valueThis study is the first to investigate the changes in store-loyal customers' shopping behaviour in the mobile retail era and in the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery. Our findings elucidate the role of physical store attachment in the trust-transfer mechanism. Furthermore, store attachment may not prevent customers’ channel migration behaviour. Retailers may have to re-consider how to manage channel cannibalisation issues in the post-pandemic recovery.

Evaluation of a co‐designed Health Check‐in for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and family caregivers to support pandemic recovery

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic has brought about disruptions in healthcare for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. There is a need to explore ways to promote proactive healthcare and better prepare individuals for healthcare encounters.MethodsA co‐designed tool, the COVID Check‐in Tool, was introduced as part of a virtual health education programme to encourage proactive healthcare. Implementation of this Health Check‐in was evaluated with 36 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and 96 family caregivers who completed the programme using surveys, structured interviews and focus groups.FindingsForty‐four percent of participants engaged in the Health Check‐in process, resulting in many reported benefits for those who participated. However, there were also barriers to initiating the Check‐in, along with challenges using the COVID Check‐in Tool, according to both the adults with disabilities who were interviewed and the family caregivers.ConclusionsThe study underscores the importance of considering ways to integrate tools into routine healthcare practices, to facilitate improved healthcare delivery for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities during pandemic recovery efforts. As well, involving people with lived experience in the development and implementation of healthcare resources is critical.

The Life Cycle of a Code White: A Framework for Managing Workplace Violence

A global challenge affecting health care organizations in the Covid-19 pandemic recovery era has been an increase in the incident frequency as well as qualitative severity and complexity of workplace violence (WPV) incidents. In Ontario, Canada, WPV in health care settings is often managed using an emergency response procedure known as a Code White (CW). The Toronto-based University Health Network (UHN) — a research and teaching hospital network with four centers of care and about 18,000 employees (including about 1,200 physicians and 3,900 registered nurses), a learning institute serving about 17,500 learners, and a research team with about 1,150 principal investigators — has engaged in a comprehensive quality improvement (QI) framework with the view to fully understand the complexity of CWs and effectively implement and evaluate complex interventions required to address the multidimensional problem of WPV. As part of this effort, UHN has developed the Life Cycle of a Code White (LCCW) by leveraging principles of System Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety 101, including the application of a journey map to outline the steps and involvement of specific functional units in CW incidents. This task necessitated extensive engagement with diverse stakeholders across the organization. The authors provide an example of how the LCCW initiative can be applied to enable the organization to operationalize the complexity of CW QI, catalyzing the formation of a formal CW governance structure, 12 distinct QI initiatives, and 17 quality indicators to inform data-driven change management.

Inequitable Changes in School Connectedness During the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic in a Cohort of Canadian Adolescents.

We examined whether subgroups of adolescents experienced disparate changes in school connectedness-a robust predictor of multiple health outcomes-from before the COVID-19 pandemic to the first full school year following pandemic onset. We used 2 waves of prospective survey data from 7178 students attending 41 Canadian secondary schools that participated during the 2019-2020 (T1; pre-COVID-19 onset) and 2020-2021 (T2; ongoing pandemic) school years. Fixed effects analyses tested differences in school connectedness changes by gender, race, bullying victimization, socioeconomic position, and school learning mode. Relatively greater declines in school connectedness were reported by students that identified as females, were bullied, perceived their family to be less financially comfortable than their classmates, and attended schools in lower income areas. Marginally greater school connectedness declines resulted among students attending schools that were fully online at T2 than those at schools using a blended model. Results point to disparate school connectedness declines during the pandemic, which may exacerbate pre-existing health inequities by gender and socioeconomic position, and among bullied youth. Effective strategies to improve school climates for equity denied groups are critical for pandemic recovery and preparedness for future related events.

Changes in Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adults After the COVID-19 Pandemic by State and Territorial Stay-at-Home Order Level and Sociodemographic Characteristics.

To examine changes in obesity prevalence among US adults after the COVID-19 pandemic by level of stay-at-home order and sociodemographic characteristics. Quasi-experimental study using repeated cross-sectional data. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Pooled data for US adults ages ≥26years (n = 1,107,673) from BRFSS (2018-2021). States/territories were classified into three levels of stay-at-home order: none, advisory/only for persons at risk, or mandatory for all. Individual-level sociodemographic characteristics were self-reported. The difference-in-differences method was conducted with weighted multiple logistic regression analysis to examine obesity (body mass index ≥30kg/m2) prevalence by stay-at-home order level and sociodemographic characteristics before/after the COVID-19 pandemic (January 2018-February 2020 vs March 2020-February 2022). After adjusting for a secular trend and multiple covariates, adults in states/territories with mandatory stay-at-home orders experienced a larger increase in obesity prevalence (adjusted odds ratio: 1.05; 95% confidence interval: 1.01, 1.11) than adults in states/territories with no stay-at-home order. Younger adults (vs ≥65years) and individuals with <high school education (vs ≥4-year college) experienced larger increases in obesity prevalence. Increases in obesity prevalence were perpetuated 2years after implementation of stay-at-home orders, indicating that longer-term health implications are co-occurring during the pandemic recovery period. Future research should focus on successful methods for staying active and healthy during social distancing and beyond.

Behavioural responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for Sustainable Development Goals in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This paper examines the nexus between behaviours, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and the behavioural changes induced by the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. Through an extensive review of 208 written sources spanning March 2020 to July 2021, the study analyses how the pandemic has affected the progress and relevance of the SDG targets in the city. Using UN-provided SDG indicators, the study evaluates the written accounts of behavioural change and establishes the linkages between them and the SDGs. Saaty’s Analytical Hierarchy Process was applied to rank 75 SDG sub-targets according to their importance and urgency in Hong Kong’s pandemic context. Notably, four SDGs stand out among the top 15: SDG3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG1 (No Poverty), and SDG10 (Reduced Inequalities), reflecting the significant challenges and opportunities for public health, the economy, vulnerable communities, and environmental sustainability in Hong Kong. The paper provides a comprehensive framework for developing post-pandemic strategies to address the city’s SDG targets. It also offers valuable insights into health, consumption, social and environmental engagement, quality of life, and institutions and organisations for policymakers and stakeholders involved in Hong Kong’s pandemic recovery and sustainable development efforts.

Poverty Post Pandemic, Lapsed Public Policy, and Rising Rates: A Call to Action for Nursing

Poverty is a pressing societal problem, adversely affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the United States and beyond. During this period of pandemic recovery, nurses, as the largest health workforce, are well positioned for action with the potential to improve health outcomes for many experiencing poverty. An actionable plan begins with an understanding of poverty and how poverty is experienced. It builds on nursing’s disciplinary perspective, patterns of knowing and a new model of professional nursing education advanced by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Finally, a feasible and sustainable plan is responsive to the challenges of a contemporary and complex health care delivery system.

Resilience dynamics and their determinants: the transition to coronavirus pandemic recovery

Purpose This study aims to introduce a dynamic perspective of tourism resilience by analyzing tourism demand in Spain during the 2020 and 2021 summers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach This study uses regression and Lasso-type methods to demonstrate a great explanatory capacity of past determinants to explain the tourism demand of the Spanish provinces. Findings Results show how the previous specialization of the domestic market, the density and the geographic location related to the type of product are behind the bulk of the territorial differences in demand resilience, although in 2021 there has been a process of adaptation to the new context. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of tourist behavior and tourism destination management by introducing the concept of resilience dynamics of destinations. Practical implications The results are useful, on the one hand, for tourist destinations to understand the different stages of recovery from a shock, and on the other hand, to go in deep in consumer behavior after a shock. Originality/value These findings represent a paradigm shift in the static conception of resilience in tourism.

Low-carbon energy systems: seizing market-based business opportunities across borders

AbstractAsia has been experiencing much faster economic growth than the world average and has been consuming more energy and natural resources than our planet’s regenerative capacity can provide. With each passing day, Asia’s carbon emissions have been growing, as does its vulnerability to climate risks. The poor are the most vulnerable to these disruptions, lacking options to adapt to changing climatic conditions. The transition to a low-carbon green growth in almost all of emerging economies in the Asian region is underway. This transition has become unstoppable and irreversible. In this context, it is important to realize that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has its own impact on the economies. Nevertheless, it has also created new once-in-a-generation opportunities for implementing hard policy reforms through economic recovery and stimulus packages. The need to accelerate the low-carbon transition as part of the pandemic recovery is unquestionable, but the question is how to do it in a cost-effective way. This research presents a broad diagnosis of new regional cooperation opportunities in areas essential to complete the transition to a low-carbon economy by 2030 and a net zero economy by 2050–2060. It highlights where regional cooperation and coordination can have the greatest impact. It points to a number of policy areas—trade, carbon taxation, carbon pricing, and innovation—where regional cooperation reduces the cost of implementing national actions and complements global pacts. This model also creates business opportunities for developing competitive green industries and low-carbon technologies across countries in the region.

Content Creator Strategy as Tourism Journalism for Post-Covid-19 Pandemic Recovery

Pikiran Rakyat Media Networks (PRMN) engaged in the digital media business, develops its business by creating a media ecosystem through multiple portals. The PRMN sub-domain news portal is managed and filled with content by content creators as PRMN partners. The phenomenon of content creators on news portals creates opportunities for strategies in tourism recovery. This research was conducted with the aim of looking at strategies for utilizing content creators as a form of journalism to advocate for tourism recovery in Indonesia. This study aims to get an overview of tourism journalism patterns carried out by content creators which can be  a strategy for recovery and increasing the attractiveness of tourist destinations. This study uses a constructivist approach by finding qualitative data to be analyzed and categorized so that it becomes a pattern of tourism communication through journalism in digital media. The results of the study show that the strategy to restore the tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic requires the role of mass media and social media. The collaboration business strategy carried out by PRMN with the google algorithm supports the creation of positive tourism content in marketing tourist destinations according to tourist targets.

The Shifting and Steepening of Phillips Curves During the Pandemic Recovery: International Evidence and Some Theory

The Shifting and Steepening of Phillips Curves During the Pandemic Recovery: International Evidence and Some Theory

The National Recovery and Resilience Plans: Towards a Next Generation of Fiscal Coordination?

The Recovery and Resilience Facility reflects unprecedented solidarity through common financing paired with an innovative governance framework. Member states can access grants and loans through the formulation of National Recovery and Resilience Plans, under a set of conditions that include minimum allocation targets and addressing country-specific recommendations. The analysis evaluates whether the governance of the Recovery and Resilience Facility mitigates one of the longstanding weaknesses of the Economic and Monetary Union architecture: fiscal coordination. Assessing the prevalence of green, digital, and social priorities in the (a) National Recovery and Resilience Plans, (b) the country-specific recommendations, and (c) party manifestos through a quantitative and qualitative text analysis shows some convergence toward supranational preferences, albeit only in the green domain. I provide preliminary evidence at the stage of the formulation of the plans of the effectiveness of the Recovery and Resilience Facility fiscal policy coordination by testing whether recovery agendas in the National Recovery and Resilience Plans reflect EU or national priorities. Deviating from the limited implementation of country-specific recommendations within the European Semester, the analysis indicates the governance of the Recovery and Resilience Facility orients the National Recovery and Resilience Plans toward fostering a green recovery. Findings contribute to the assessment of how pandemic recovery instruments innovate EU fiscal governance and longstanding discussions on the ineffectiveness of fiscal coordination within the Economic and Monetary Union, informing the ongoing debate on the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact and a permanent successor to the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

East Toronto Health Partners: Collaborating on Quality Improvement

Developing a shared quality agenda has led to a new focus on population health within our community in East Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Amidst pandemic recovery, community members often struggle to access care. Health care organizations are challenged to support patient flow and mental health needs, and to catch up on preventative care and chronic disease management that was delayed due to reduced in-person care. One might think that these pressures would sideline quality improvement (QI) work, however we’ve seen new energy generated by QI capacity-building and application of rapid learning cycles to address our shared challenges. &#x0D; Ontario Health Team context&#x0D; An Ontario Health Team is “a group of collaborative partners (organizations and individuals who offer health services, social services, and other health-relevant activities) brought together under a collaborative governance framework… to work with, and be accountable for, the health and wellbeing of a well-defined Attributed Population.” This context generates motivation for organizations and stakeholders to work closely on quality initiatives. Quality improvement activities form part of a larger rapid-learning health system strategy that includes program evaluation, evidence-based best practices in frontline care, and business intelligence efforts.&#x0D; Approaches within our QI Collaboration&#x0D; -Collecting and sharing patient experience measures as part of Best Practice Guideline implementation for Person &amp; Family-Centred Care;&#x0D; -Strengthening involvement of community members; co-creating our 2022 collaborative Quality Improvement Plan with diverse partners;&#x0D; -Accessing and reflecting on baseline data for our defined population, and building capacity for local analytics. Together with other Ontario Health Teams, we have outlined requirements for data and tools to support population health management;&#x0D; -Focusing on priority neighbourhoods to improve health equity; and building QI capacity with teams of Community Health Ambassadors within those neighbourhoods.&#x0D; Key Learnings&#x0D; Patient Experience: We grounded our work in person- and family-centred care; respecting the voices of patients and caregivers in reporting their level of involvement in care plans and treatment. Collaboration among partners uncovered examples of best practice in patient experience data collection and moved us toward data collection as an integrated system of care (beyond surveys conducted within individual organizations). &#x0D; Patient Flow: Our collaboration led us to focus “upstream,” and to strengthen our ability to identify unmet needs for clients in community settings. A strengths-based assessment across collaborating organizations helped to increase awareness of diverse assets within our community and examples of leadership in Seniors-Friendly Care. We are launching transdisciplinary teams dedicated to responsive support for transitions in care. &#x0D; Preventative Care: An equity approach was key. In addition to primary care practice-based improvement initiatives (e.g. cancer screening) we prioritized efforts to reach vulnerable groups, such as individuals without a family doctor, and those with barriers to navigating health services in English. Rapid-cycle improvement and evaluation plans (co-designed with community members) are helping to ensure that service offerings are addressing the needs of the community.&#x0D; RESULT: The East Toronto Health Partners’ collaborative Quality Improvement work has helped our Ontario Health Team to align and integrate work across multiple organizations – building our capabilities for proactive population health management.

REIT Leverage Puzzle

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) utilize significant financial leverage, with a typical REIT employing around 40 percent of debt financing. For non-taxable entities like REITs, the absence of tax benefits raises questions about the optimal level of financial leverage. This study explores the effects of leverage on shareholder returns in REITs and provides empirical evidence supporting the trade-off theory of capital structure. Our findings indicate that some REITs may have reached their optimal level of financial leverage, beyond which the marginal benefit diminishes. Additionally, the study reveals that high leverage can create agency conflicts between managers and shareholders, leading to a market penalty on REITs with excessive financial leverage. Importantly, we also find that the impact of financial leverage on REIT performance varies depending on the economic context, showing divergent trends pre- and post-financial crisis and during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery phase. The implications of these findings are critical for understanding REITs’ governance and financial management.

Trends in Pediatric Emergency and Inpatient Healthcare Use for Mental and Behavioral Health Among North Carolinians During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic.

Widespread school closures and health care avoidance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in access to pediatric mental health care. We conducted a retrospective study of emergency and inpatient administrative claims from privately insured children aged 6-20 years in North Carolina between January 2019 and December 2020. We compared rates of emergency department (ED) visits (per 100 000 person-days) and risks of hospitalizations (per 100 000 persons) with diagnosis codes in each category (mental/behavioral health; suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and intentional self-harm [SI/SA/ISH]; and social issues) across 3 time periods (pre-pandemic, lockdown, and reopening). We calculated the proportion and 95% confidence intervals (CI) of total ED visits and total hospitalizations attributable to mental/behavioral health and SI/SA/ISH across the 3 time periods. Rates of all categories of ED visits decreased from pre-pandemic to the lockdown period; from pre-pandemic to the reopening period, mental/behavioral health visits decreased but rates of SI/SA/ISH visits were unchanged. The proportion of ED visits attributable to mental/behavioral health increased from 3.5% (95% CI 3.2%-3.7%) pre-pandemic to 4.0% (95% CI 3.7%-4.3%) during reopening, and the proportion of SI/SA/ISH diagnoses increased from 1.6% (95% CI 1.4%-1.8%) pre-pandemic to 2.4% (95% CI 2.1%-2.7%) during the reopening period. Emergency care use for social issues and hospital admissions for mental/behavioral health and SI/SA/ISH diagnoses were unchanged across the study periods. In the early pandemic, pediatric mental health care and acute suicidal crises accounted for increased proportions of emergency care. During pandemic recovery, understanding the populations most impacted and increasing access to preventative mental health care is critical.

A decision support model to investigate the pandemic recovery challenges and strategies in the leather supply chain

AbstractThe COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruptions to supply chains (SC) worldwide, posing numerous challenges for industries, particularly in the emerging economies (EE). These economies are undergoing a phase of recovery from the pandemic devastations now, requiring investigation into the recovery challenges (RCs) and propositions for effective recovery strategies (RSs) to address RCs. Given this backdrop, this study aims to explore the COVID-19-related RCs in the Bangladeshi leather industry and build an integrated decision-making model to formulate RSs to counteract the RCs while the industry seeks to recover. This study used Pareto analysis to deduce lists of the nine most critical RCs and nine vital RSs for the Bangladeshi leather industry. This study also applied the best worst method (BWM) to identify a long-term liquidity crisis and an increasing bankruptcy of business stakeholders as the most urgent RCs, highlighting financial sustainability as a significant matter of concern for the sector. With regard to the RSs, the application of the fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) indicated a need to solve the existing problems of central effluent treatment plant (CETP) and provisioning of solid waste management facilities for long run business as priorities to make the leather industry SC more financially and operationally sustainable. The RSs formulated in this study have managerial implications for decision-makers in reducing the adversities caused by the pandemic and hence improving the SC performance of the leather industry. Although not totally, these valuable insights into the RCs and RSs for the leather industry during and following COVID-19 periods can be generalized across other industries in Bangladesh and EE regions affected by the pandemic.

Vulnerability and Colorectal screening during the pandemic

ObjectiveDisparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening prevalence across United States neighborhoods may reflect social inequities that create barriers to accessing and completing preventive health services. Our objective was to identify whether neighborhood social vulnerability was associated with a change in CRC screening prevalence in Boston neighborhoods during the COVID-19 pandemic. MethodsAdults ages 50–74 years due for CRC screening who received primary care at one of 35 primary care practices affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital or Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston, MA), 3/1/2020 to 3/1/2022. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) is an aggregate measure of neighborhood social factors often used by public health authorities to examine neighborhood susceptibility to many health outcomes. ResultsIn 2020, 74.9 % of eligible individuals were up to date with CRC screening and this fell to 67.4 % in 2022 (p < 0.001). In 2020, 36.2 % of eligible patients lived in a neighborhood above the 80th percentile of SVI, consistent with high social vulnerability, while the same value was 35.1 % in 2022. There was no association between the change in screening prevalence and SVI: a decrease of 5.5 % screened in neighborhoods with SVI ≤ 80 compared to a decrease of 3.6 % in neighborhoods with SVI > 80 (p = 0.79). ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic equalized the prevalence of CRC screening across Boston-area neighborhoods despite pre-existing geographic disparities in screening prevalence and SVI. Strategies to ensure equitable participation in CRC screening to promote health equity should be considered to promote equitable pandemic recovery.

Multifaceted precarity: pandemic experiences of recent immigrant women in the accommodation and food services sector

The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected those who face historical and ongoing marginalization. In centering pandemic experience of recent immigrant women in the accommodation and food services sector in Canada, we examine how their precarious work translated to experiences of work precarity and wellbeing. This paper illuminates how pre-existing and ongoing marginalization are reproduced during a health crisis for those at the intersection of gender, race, migration, and labour inequities. Using semi-structured interviews and systematic analysis using the Work Precarity Framework, we found that the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing socio-economic marginalization and resulted in unique experiences of work precarity. The latter was experienced as precarity of work (unpredictable work hours and job or employment insecurity), precarity from work (inadequate incomes), and precarity at work (physical, psychological, and relational unsafety). Work precarity stood out as a social determinant of health in relation to its outcome of degraded mental health and wellbeing. Recognizing the role of policies in producing, reproducing, and distributing precarity, we recommend policy directions to reduce social inequities in pandemic recovery.

Leveraging Green Bonds to Address Debt Sustainability and Economic Recovery in South Asia: Lessons from EU and ASEAN Countries

This paper intends to analyze how green bond markets can address debt sustainability and post-COVID-19 economic recovery in South Asia and draws lessons from the European Union (EU) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries using desk approach and survey of grey literature. The study reveals that COVID-19 crisis induced the European governments to launch innovative bonds such as social and sustainability bonds to meet large public finances for pandemic and post-pandemic recovery actions, while issuance of green bonds in ASEAN region has been quite slow but remained positive despite declining trend in global market in 2020. Robust policies and regulations have been developed and implemented in the EU and ASEAN regions, whereas development of green bond markets in South Asian countries has been facing numerous barriers. The roadmap to promote green bond markets in South Asia should focus on following broad policy issues: primary policies, established instruments, innovative products and new strategies. The primary policy options should focus on building and strengthening infrastructure for development of green bond markets. In this context, the policies should focus on developing a shelf of climate-compatible green projects to achieve inclusive and sustainable post-COVID-19 recovery and to meet the sustainable development goals. Local bond markets should be bolstered to issue innovative green bonds and tactical public green bonds to finance the post-COVID-19 recovery in South Asian countries. The compatible EU and ASEAN green bond standards should be replicated with suitable modifications to develop South Asian country-specific green and sustainable bond standards.