I'm scared. I'm really scared.
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This is different from other big events I've experienced.
I was in the World Trade Centre when terrorists crashed two passenger planes into it.
And I once stood next to a fresh-faced boy in Kashmir who, in a flash, turned into a vicious gunman.
The two of us were next to each other at a street stall, drinking Coke when he suddenly stepped away, pulled out a pistol and threw a grenade at a sand-bagged military post across the street, unleashing a barrage of retaliatory fire from the Indian soldiers.
He ran away in his trainers and T-shirt, firing. The shooting was over too fast for me to be frightened.
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But in some ways, this plague is harder.
It's true that 9/11 set off endless war - but the situation was limited and distant. The world order wasn't threatened.
But who knows where this crisis will end. Economic recession or worse? It is beyond the control of the best politicians - let alone the worst one across the ocean.
This is the first time in my life where I have feared that society might crack. If we don't pull together, we might pull each other apart. Fighting over toilet rolls will only be the start of it.
The problem is that we need fear to persuade us to obey the new rules and keep our distances. If we aren't frightened, we will soon be back to the beach at Bondi.
I have to stay within the walls of my flat for 14 days because I returned from Europe so my world is online. It's a world of mayors in Italy screaming at people to get indoors. It's a world of graphs where the number of victims rises exponentially - look at Italy and you see where Australia might go.
Our leaders in Australia seem to be decent, intelligent people wrestling with a monster. There is confusion - at the moment, over who can go to school - but inevitably there will be more. Solomon himself would not know what to do.
In the blitz, some Londonders behaved badly. Selfishness was not abolished. But a lot behaved well. And so it will be in Australia. Please.
- For information on COVID-19, please go to the ACT Health website or federal Health Department's website.
- You can also call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
- If you have serious symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, call Triple Zero (000)
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Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
