THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an act of repentance, residents of Poonthura on Sunday welcomed the health workers by showering flowers and offering them sweets. Led by Anthoni Adimai Bebinson, vicar of Poonthura, a group of locals assembled in front of the testing centre and accorded a warm reception to the health team.

Addressing the gathering, Anthoni said the incident which had occurred last Friday -— the residents had hurled abuse and scoffed at the officials who had arrived there for Covid prevention and control activities — was unfortunate and that the locals are regretting the same. Moved by the gesture, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had earlier condemned the act of residents, said in a Facebook post that the sight of locals giving accolades to officials gave him both ‘relief ’ and ‘joy’. According to him, the people of Poonthura, Manikkavilakam and Puthenthope was influenced by external forces which resulted in the earlier ugly incident.