Perhaps this may provide enough precedence to codify more specific laws, regulations, liabilities and consequences that affect funding availability, multiple levels of insurance requirements and lab safety requirements. Additionally there could also be more consequences for side-stepping direction from leadership to cease and desist research in a particular area when the risk was already deemed too great.

In my opinion this is important to address regardless of circumstance. Covid may be a walk in the park compared to the risk we are about to experience with Precision Medicine [1] also known as dual-use biology.

Would anyone be held responsible?

Proving intent is difficult. More likely people may be found negligent and lose the ability to fund or manage future projects. They and their associates become a toxic investment risk thus possibly discouraging future behavior assuming only negligence.

[1] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35734114