I think the COVID-19 period has exposed gaps in the present thinking on the role of government as enunciated by the major Public Administration paradigms. In South Africa, for example, recently we saw a situation where government sluggish response to the socio-economic effects of the pandemic led to riots. It is evident that a slow/absent government can lead to disastrous consequences. The fragmented government that government scholars argue seem to be imaginary, as we see in different countries, because it is slow in crisis situations. Also, the government must take a leading role to provide safety nets and social services to the poor. As more thinking shifts towards network government, and as the state collaborate with other partners to mobilise resources, deliver public goods, and regulate markets, it must be able to strategically use its might in a way that protects the poor. In the future government must play a balancing role in the economy. Probably more scholarly inquiries must look at how the Chinese model of government can also inform governance frameworks that can serve in the post-Covid19 period.