US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said "enormous
evidence" showed the new coronavirus originated in a lab in China,
further fueling 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.
More
than 245,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide
by the virus, which has left half of humanity under some form of
lockdown and pushed the global economy towards its worst downturn since
the Great Depression.
US President Donald Trump,
increasingly critical of China's management of the first outbreak in the
city of Wuhan in December, claims 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.
'HISTORY OF INFECTING THE WORLD'
China denies the claims, and 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 that the Covid-19 virus was not man-made.
But
Pompeo went further than Trump, citing "enormous" evidence that the
virus originated in a Wuhan lab. He did not however present evidence to
back up his claim.
"I think the whole world can see
now, remember, China has a history of infecting the world and running
substandard laboratories," he said.
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."
PRESSURE FROM DEMONSTRATORS
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
centerpiece of his campaign for the November presidential election.
The
United States has the most coronavirus deaths in the world at more
67,600, with 1,450 recorded over the 24-hours late Sunday.
Trump,
speaking at a live TV event, promised an early coronavirus vaccine and
an "incredible" future for the country as he sought to relaunch his
disrupted election campaign.
Florida is set to ease its
lockdown Monday, as other US states wrestle with pressure from
demonstrators -- some carrying weapons -- who have rallied against the
restrictions.
In New York, the epicenter of the US
outbreak, an emergency field hospital erected in Central Park is set to
close as virus cases decline.
But dozens of New Yorkers
were fined for violating social distancing guidelines as they flocked
to beaches and parks in balmy weekend weather.
In
Brazil, President Jair Bolsonaro railed against the country's lockdown
in a speech to thousands of anti-confinement demonstrators, even as the
national death toll rose above 7,000.
RULES ARE NOT CLEAR
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.
Starting Monday Italians will be allowed to
stroll in parks and visit relatives. Restaurants can open for takeaways
and wholesale stores can resume business, but there was some confusion
over the rules.
Romans were doing aerobics on rooftop
terraces and exercising indoors while squares in the city center were
mostly empty on the last day that Italians were obliged to remain within
200 meters of their homes.
"On the one hand, we're
super excited for the reopening, we're already organizing various
activities the kids will be able to do with their grandparents
outdoors," said Rome resident Marghe Lodoli, who has three children.
"On the other hand, it's disorientating. The rules are not clear, and we're not sure if just using common sense will do."
Italian
authorities have said some preventative measures are still needed in a
country that has the second-highest number of virus deaths.
In
another sign of life returning, an influential German minister said
Sunday he supports a resumption of the country's football season this
month as long as teams respect hygiene conditions.
The
British government said the easing of coronavirus lockdown measures was
likely to be gradual, as it announced a further rise in the overall
death toll.
Most governments are sticking to measures
to control the spread of the virus -- social distancing and masks in
public -- and more testing to try to track infections even as they relax
curbs.
Even as some European countries gradually lift
restrictions, officials in Moscow -- the epicenter of the contagion in
Russia -- urged residents to stay home.
With cases increasing by several thousand each day, Russia is now the European country registering the most new infections.
PREPARE FOR 'BAD SCENARIOS'
European
leaders are backing an initiative from Brussels to raise 7.5 billion
euros ($8.3 billion) to tackle the pandemic and raise funds for efforts
to find a vaccine for Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
The race is on to find a viable vaccine or treatment with several countries involved in trials.
In
Asia, South Korea -- once the second worst-hit nation on the planet --
said Sunday it would ease a ban on some gatherings and events as long as
they "follow disinfection measures."
Thailand allowed
businesses such as restaurants, hair salons and outdoor markets to
reopen so long as social distancing was maintained and temperature
checks carried out.
But experts caution that many countries are still not through the worst.
The
Philippines suspended all flights into and out of the country in a bid
to ease pressure on its congested quarantine facilities.
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani announced that mosques would reopen across
large parts of the Islamic Republic, after they were closed in early
March to try to contain the Middle East's deadliest Covid-19 outbreak.
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