FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 24, 2020
Testing Available in San José, Sunnyvale, Gilroy and Los Gatos
Santa Clara County, CA For the week of December 28, testing opportunities will be available for Santa Clara County residents in San José, Sunnyvale, Gilroy and Los Gatos. Those seeking testing are urged to pay close attention to holiday hours.
While there will be no testing on January 1, the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds site will operate all other days including December 31. Pop-up opportunities, which don’t require an appointment and are only for those without symptoms, will be available in San José and Gilroy from Monday through Thursday, and one additional site will be open in San José on Wednesday.
“This is a critical time,” Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Officer for the County of Santa Clara said. “We know that gatherings are very high-risk activities for the spread of COVID-19, so first and foremost we cannot urge strongly enough that people do not gather or travel for the holidays. It is imperative that everyone continues taking all preventive measures to curb COVID-19 transmission through the holiday season, which includes getting tested regularly if you are a frontline worker.”
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 very busy.
Next week, appointment-only County COVID-19 testing will be conducted at sites in San José, Sunnyvale, and Los Gatos. 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 now available five days in advance. Testing is free at all these sites. Appointments are essential for reserving a testing slot.
APPOINTMENT-BASED TESTING SITES —Make an appointment by visiting www.sccfreetest.org and clicking on “Schedule an Appointment Today”
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, Dec. 28, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 29 – 30, 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Closed Friday Jan. 1; Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 2-3, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale Murphy Park, 26 N. Sunnyvale Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086
By appointment only for Monday, Dec. 28, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Los Gatos
Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center, 208 E. Main St., Los Gatos, 95030
By appointment only for Wednesday, Dec. 30, 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
Monday to Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Dec. 30, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 31, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Public Health Story Road Hub, 1775 Story Rd., San José, 95122
Wednesday, Dec. 30, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Gilroy
South County Annex (formerly Del Buono Elementary) – 9300 Wren Avenue, Gilroy, 95020
Monday to Wednesday, Dec. 28 – Dec. 30, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Thursday, Dec. 31, 9 a.m. to 3 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 won’t 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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