WASHINGTON: US Secre­tary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said “enormous evidence” showed the new coronavirus originated in a lab in China, further fuelling tensions with Beijing over its handling of the outbreak.

Pompeo’s comments came as Europe and parts of the United States prepared to cautiously lift virus lockdowns as signs emerge that the deadly pandemic is ebbing and governments look to restart their battered economies.

US President Donald Trump, increasingly critical of China’s management of the first outbreak in the city of Wuhan in December, last week claimed to have proof it started in a Chinese laboratory.

Scientists believe the virus jumped from animals to humans, after emerging in China, possibly from a market in Wuhan selling exotic animals for meat.

Trump, without giving details, said on Thursday he had seen evidence the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the source, appearing to echo speculation fueled by US right-wing radio commentators about a secret lab.

Hard-hit Italy is set to follow Spain in allowing people outside

China denies the claims and even the US Director of National Intelligence office has said analysts are still examining the exact origin of the outbreak.

Pompeo, a former CIA chief, told the ABC he agreed with a statement from the US intelligence community about the “wide scientific consensus that the Covid-19 virus was not man-made or genetically modified.”

But Pompeo went further than Trump, citing “significant” and “enormous” evidence that the virus originated in a Wuhan lab. “I think the whole world can see now, remember, China has a history of infecting the world and running substandard laboratories.”

Pompeo said early Chinese efforts to downplay the coronavirus amounted to “a classic Communist disinformation effort. That created enormous risk.” “President Trump is very clear: we’ll hold those responsible accountable.”

US news reports say Trump has tasked US spies to find out more about the origins of the virus, as he makes China’s handling of the pandemic a centrepiece of his campaign for the November presidential election.

The United States has the most coronavirus deaths in the world at more 66,000 and Trump is keen for a turnaround to help reduce the economic pain, with tens of millions left jobless.

There are signs the pandemic is slowing in some parts of the United States. In New York, the epicentre of the US outbreak, an emergency field hospital erected in Central Park is set to close as virus cases decline.

Across the Atlantic, European nations prepared for cautious easing of restrictions.

Hard-hit Italy, which reported its lowest daily toll since stay-at-home orders were imposed on March 10, is set to follow Spain in allowing people outside.

Italians from Monday will be allowed to stroll in parks and visit relatives.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2020