New restrictions - what's changed in Southampton
New national restrictions came into force this Thursday 5 November which we must all follow to keep safe from COVID-19.
The restrictions mean that in Southampton the following places and services will temporarily close:
- Sea City Museum and Southampton Art Gallery (Tudor House will remain closed)
- Indoor Leisure and Sports Facilities and outdoor multi-use games areas and tennis courts.
- The Municipal Golf Course
- Weddings and Civil Partnerships
- Gateway at One Guildhall Square
- Community Rooms in Housing Complexes
- Libraries will be offering limited services. More info is available online.
We will be doing everything we can to ensure essential services are maintained over the coming weeks and months. We will continue to prioritise, as we have always done, the safety of the most vulnerable people in our community.
- The Household Waste and Recycling Centre at Millbrook will remain open with the COVID safety measures already in place. The ‘Re-use’ shop will close as non-essential retail.
- Outdoor public spaces and play areas will remain open.
- Public MOT bookings will still be available at City Depot.
Visit our Coronavirus update webpages for all of the latest service information.
Your local COVID-19 data update
 COVID-19 is on the rise again - our local data suggests that the infection has not only increased amongst younger people but is now moving into older age groups who we know are more vulnerable to its effects.
Hospital admissions at University Hospital Southampton are rising. If we don’t act now there is a very real risk the local NHS could become overwhelmed and we could see many more deaths over the winter. But we can still do something about it and help keep Southampton safe over the next 4 weeks.
New national restrictions have come into force from Thursday 5 November which we must all follow to keep ourselves and those we love safe.
See our full local COVID-19 data dashboard.
GP services and pharmacies open for appointments and flu jabs
 Please don’t neglect your health during the second national lockdown over the next four weeks. Your local GP practice remains open during the lockdowns. Details on how to contact your practice can be found on their website. You can use the eConsult form on your practice’s website to submit your enquiry. You may also be booked in for a telephone call or online consultation, and face-to-face appointments are also available at surgeries if needed. So be sure to keep your health checks as well as scheduled appointments this winter.
If you’re concerned about other symptoms you’re having, don’t be put off seeking help when you need it. You can contact your GP practice as described, or you can call NHS 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk to check your symptoms, or for advice if you think you need more urgent help and you’re not sure where to go.
Do not visit your GP if you think you have COVID-19 symptoms. Book a test online instead, and self-isolate in your home if it is positive.
Please don’t neglect to book, or cancel if you’ve already booked, a flu jab at your local pharmacy.
Visit www.nhs.uk/fluvaccine for more information about getting your jab.
Southampton Remembers
 These are the ways you can mark Remembrance Sunday on 8 November and Armistice Day on Wednesday 11 November in Southampton, in a way that follows current government guidelines.
This year is especially poignant because we marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day in May, the 75th anniversary of VJ Day in August and it is also the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of The Cenotaph war memorial in Watts Park on Friday 6 November.
Doorstep Silence
We are encouraging all residents to stand on their doorstep this Sunday at 11am and honour the 2-minute silence.
Southampton Online Remembrance Ceremony
Watch the pre-recorded service which was filmed at different war memorials across the city on the council's Facebook and YouTube channels on Sunday 8 November at 11:02am.
City Poppy Decoration
Lamp posts around The Cenotaph in Watts Park have been decorated with poppies. In this video the Southampton Cultural Services’ Museum Learning team share some ideas on how to create your very own remembrance poppy. You can also download and print an iconic remembrance poppy from The Royal British Legion website.
Hang your poppy in your window to show your support for the armed forces community and make sure you share your pictures with us on social media using the hashtags #NeverForgotten and #SouthamptonRemembers, so we can share them with our social media followers. For more information head to the Visit Southampton website.
The Cenotaph is 100 years old today
 The Southampton Cenotaph located in Watts Park, also known as West Park, is a First World War memorial and Grade I Listed Building designed by English Architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Friday 6 November 2020 marks its 100th year in Southampton since it was unveiled.
The memorial was the first of 44 of Lutyens’ national collection of First World War Grade One Listed Buildings, with the famous Cenotaph on Whitehall in London being modelled on our Southampton one.
Councillor Sue Blatchford, Mayor of Southampton, shares the history of the Cenotaph in this film.
You may not be able to visit The Cenotaph today or over the weekend to pay your respects but we can bring the war memorial to you with this virtual tour.
For more information about how Southampton is marking Remembrance this year go to the Visit Southampton website.
New COVID-19 test site at University of Southampton Avenue Campus
 A fourth walk-through COVID-19 testing site is now open in Southampton at University of Southampton's Avenue Campus Car Park.
The site is being run by Mitie on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care as part of the Government’s UK-wide drive to increase testing for coronavirus and help support NHS during its busiest winter period.
The Avenue Campus Car Park (Highfield Rd, Southampton SO17 1BF) joins Southampton Guildhall in the City Centre, Woodley Road Car Park in Woolston and Marlborough Road Car Park (South) in Shirley. This site will provide easier access to testing for people living in the North of the city. Read more.
Hear from local businesses about the Bedford Place pedestrianisation
 To help support our local businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re trialling the pedestrianisation of parts of Bedford Place. This has created extra space for outdoor dining and social distancing in this popular area of the city centre. We’re continuing to work closely with the businesses in the area throughout this trial and, together with the walking and cycling charity Sustrans, we’ve created a series of videos to give a snapshot of what some of these make of the scheme. You can watch all of the videos and hear from local businesses about their thoughts on the scheme on our YouTube channel.
To find out more about the Bedford Place scheme including how to share your feedback, visit our transport website.
Memorial bench for armed forces installed at Veracity ahead of Remembrance Sunday
 A new Remembrance bench has been installed at Veracity Recreation Ground in Peartree to commemorate the contribution of armed forces personnel.
It joins four others that have already been placed around the city to commemorate the contribution of armed forces personnel. These can be found at Southampton Old Cemetery, South Stoneham Garden of Remembrance at Stoneham Cemetery, Hollybrook Cemetery and Lances Hill.
As way to keep active during the new national restrictions, you could walk, run or cycle to their local war memorials in Southampton as an act of remembrance this year. As well as the Remembrance benches this includes the plaque at Town Quay Park, a tree at Mayflower Park to commemorate The Falklands, the Burma Memorial at Grosvenor Square, The Cenotaph in Watts Park and a memorial at Hollybrook Cemetery. Download a map of the memorials.
Share your photos with us paying your respects at the memorials on social media using the hashtags #NeverForgotten and #SouthamptonRemembers. Read the full story here.
We will remember them… 80 years on
 80 years ago today, on the afternoon of November 6 1940 a tragic event was to darken Southampton Civic Centre's School of Arts' short existence, when twelve incendiary bombs were dropped on the centre of Southampton. Two bombs were a direct hit on the Southampton School of Art, now known as the Southampton Art Gallery, which penetrated the roof and two floors and exploded in the basement shelter killing seventeen children who were attending their weekly art lesson.
This permanent commemorative memorial (pictured) of raised calligraphy by the artist Richard Kindersley was officially opened at The Southampton Art Gallery on 28 March 1994 to remember the seventeen young school girls, two school staff and civic centre employees who sadly lost their lives on that fateful day.
Although the Art Gallery is not open due to national restrictions, one of our Town Sergeants laid a wreath at the memorial this week as a mark of respect. We will remember them.
Ways to get involved in Inter Faith week 2020
Inter Faith Week 2020 will take place from Sunday 8 - Sunday 15 November. It aims to strengthen good inter faith relations at all levels and increase awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK. In particular, celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society, increasing understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs.
Take a look at the full programme of events, for ways to join in locally.
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