FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 9, 2021
COVID-19 Testing: Appointments Only at Fairgrounds
Week of January 11, Testing Available in Seven Cities in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, CA – The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds site continues to be a popular and robust testing location, testing 3,000 to 5,000 people a day. However, visitors must make appointments in advance of arrival, whether they are arriving by car, bike or on foot.
“Appointment-based testing helps us to accommodate the high volume of visitors at our Fairgrounds site for COVID testing,” said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, County of Santa Clara Testing Officer. “To keep our operation running smoothly as demand continues to increase, only those who have appointments for the day can be tested, and, unfortunately, all others will be turned away.”
To make an appointment, visit www.sccfreetest.org and click on Schedule an Appointment Today. Tests are also available at Pop-Up sites throughout the County, which do not require appointments.
For the week of January 11, testing opportunities will be available throughout Santa Clara County, in San José, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Saratoga, Milpitas and Gilroy.
The County would like to remind people that hospital emergency departments are not the appropriate venue for a COVID-19 test when symptoms are not present and there is no emergency medical issue. Emergency Departments are for people who need emergency care and are currently overwhelmed.
Next week, appointment-only County COVID-19 testing will be conducted at sites in San José, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Milpitas. Appointments can be made starting seven days in advance of the testing date until all slots are reserved at www.sccfreetest.org. Appointment-based testing is also available in San José at the Fairgrounds, with appointments available five days in advance. Testing is free at all these sites. Appointments are essential for reserving a testing slot.
APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES For a complete list of testing sites, please visit www.sccfreetest.org
Text message results are available at appointment-based County of Santa Clara testing facilities and an influenza test is included.
San José
Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Parking Lot A (across from the blue arch) - Drive-through, bike, and walk-up appointments
Across the street from the Fairgrounds main entrance, 344 Tully Road, San José, CA 95111
Appointment hours: Monday, January 11, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, January 12 through January 14, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Friday, January 15, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Saturday, January 16, and Sunday, January 17, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Murphy Park, 260 Sunnyvale Ave., Sunnyvale 94086
Monday, January 11, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Morgan Hill
Morgan Hill Council Chamber Building, 17555 Peak Ave., Morgan Hill 95037
Tuesday, January 12, 9:30 a.m. to 4 pm.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara Central Park Library, 2635 Homestead Road, Santa Clara 95051
Wednesday, January 13, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saratoga
Saratoga Prospect Center Friendship Hall, 19848 Prospect Road, Saratoga 95070
Thursday, January 14, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Milpitas
Milpitas Sports Center, 1325 East Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas 95035
Friday, January 15, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
POP-UP TESTING SITES – No appointments needed and only for people without symptoms.
San José
Emmanuel Baptist Church, 467 N. White Road, San José, 95127
Tuesday through Friday, January 12– January 15, 2021, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Ave., Gilroy, 95020
Monday through Friday, January 11 through January 15, 2021, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
San Ysidro Park, 77000 Murray Ave., Gilroy 95020
Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
In order to facilitate the testing process and reduce waiting times, staff may distribute wristbands that will correspond to specific testing time windows. When patients receive a wristband, they may be asked to return during their assigned testing window. Once all wristbands have been handed out, the testing site can no longer take additional patients for the day.
The County test sites provide COVID-19 tests free of charge, regardless of immigration status, and no doctor’s note is needed. At some County test sites, people with insurance may be asked to provide their insurance information, so that payment from the insurance company can be collected. However, patients will not be billed for any co-pay, deductible, or any other cost for testing. Those without health insurance or those who do not provide insurance information can still get a test at those sites.
For people without COVID-19 symptoms, the County currently offers indoor and drive-through sites. People with symptoms are directed to drive-through sites to reduce the chance of getting others sick.
For those with healthcare coverage, systems such as Kaiser Permanente, Sutter/Palo Alto Medical Foundation and others are required by County order to offer free testing to symptomatic persons, persons who have been exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case, and all “essential workers.” Examples of “essential workers” include teachers, healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, and persons who work in agriculture or food manufacturing.
For more information on testing rights, see our Frequently Asked Questions page. The County also collects and publishes data on testing by large healthcare systems: https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard-testing.aspx#hstesting.
All test sites are mapped on the County’s website at www.sccfreetest.org. The site is available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Tagalog. Information is also available by calling 2-1-1.
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